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Original poster

Is UK now one big rubbish tip

68 replies

Sally20099 · 26/02/2026 19:06

im hoping I’ve only just noticed, and things aren’t actually getting worse, but where ever I drive at the moment, all the motorways, duel carriage ways and slip roads, are just full of rubbish all along crash barriers. Plastic bottles, drinks cartons, random plastic wrapping - all just building up and blowing around. I’ve never actually seen anyone litter but it must happen on mass. Who are these idiots littering our countryside, and why are they so relaxed about it. AIBU thinking there must be a growing population who don’t care about anything: how awful it looks; how many animals it kills (according to rspca +3m animals each year), the environmental impact etc.

OP posts:
Endofpartone · 26/02/2026 20:37

Everywhere is so bad at the moment. I regularly litter pick and urge everyone to to their bit

Limmers14 · 26/02/2026 20:33

I live in a relatively nice area but you’d be surprised what you can pick up on a walk. There are some council flats nearby and they a) don’t have enough bins so litter flies everywhere in the wind b) have too many people in each flat generating too much waste and c) have international residents who don’t seem to be aware of or understand cultural norms about fly tipping. I set up a litter picking group and we manage to keep on top of it all in the surrounding areas but it’s a real community effort!

Zov · 26/02/2026 20:30

Not in North Staffs/Cheshire Border.

Terrible in some of the midlands though.

Faceon · 26/02/2026 20:29

Thecows · 26/02/2026 20:28

It's horrific and totally depressing. Anyone not seeing it is being wilfully obtuse or live in an extremely unusual remote part of the UK.

Nope. Lovely market town in Kent.

where do you live that’s so depressing and horrific

Thecows · 26/02/2026 20:28

It's horrific and totally depressing. Anyone not seeing it is being wilfully obtuse or live in an extremely unusual remote part of the UK.

GinToBegin · 26/02/2026 20:15

I’ve noticed it more recently. Not mounds of rubbish, but sandwich packaging, drinks cans and the like that have clearly been chucked from a car. I just cannot get my head around it, some people are just crappy.

ChicoryChina · 26/02/2026 19:59

I have noticed it over the last couple of years. It’s utterly repulsive and throughly depressing. I have no idea who does it as our family never do and I have never seen anything tossed outside when travelling but the verges are littered to the extent in some areas there is more litter than grass. What has changed?

Chockenchara · 26/02/2026 19:49

It’s truly awful, I agree.

My area isn’t too bad - there’s good bin provision and local groups go round litter picking. I also think people around here seem generally quite respectful of where the live.

In other places, especially grass verges near main roads or away from where people live, it’s truly awful - garbage just everywhere.

Theolittle · 26/02/2026 19:44

Yes it is bad. There’s another thread I think about the council charging for businesses disposing of waste and they don’t want to pay.

Plus we’re a throwaway society with lots of cheap plastic tat, and even furniture only lasting a few years before people feel they must change it because - “fashion”

Brantastic · 26/02/2026 19:42

I've covered a lot of England's roads in the last year and it's everywhere. Utterly depressing, people just don't seem to give a shit about anything anymore

TheoreticallyAdult · 26/02/2026 19:38

Same here in Dublin. It was shocking to notice it because it’s always been so clean for as long as I can remember.

JHound · 26/02/2026 19:35

It’s getting worse but honestly has been bad compared to other places I have lived for decades.

But flytipping seems to be worse.

Gingernaut · 26/02/2026 19:33

I'm not even in a rural area

The streets where I live are a disgrace, with many cul de sacs and dead ends just fly tipped

No sooner has it been reported and cleared, it's back

It's disgusting

Fezzanan · 26/02/2026 19:30

Yes it's definitely got worse. You're blind if you can't see it. Perhaps not noticeable to people in their late 20s and younger but there can't be anyone older than 35 than thinks there's not a massive problem. Compared with pre 00s.

There are too many people that live here now that don't give a shit what the country they live in looks like. That's basically it.

I dont think there's anyway back. 😔

snowsjoke · 26/02/2026 19:27

No, I think it’s just Birmingham.

Pleatherandlace · 26/02/2026 19:12

Totally agree. Don’t ever remember seeing so much rubbish on the side of the roads. I often wonder if people are dropping more or picking up less? I really hate it

Zivvy · 26/02/2026 19:10

My guess is a lot of it is people travelling. I live in the northwest Highlands, and in the winter season there is no litter really. In the summer there is tons of it. It's all instant food type stuff. I can only surmise it's the tourists doing it, otherwise it would happen year round. I guess they come because it's pretty here, but they don't care if they trash the place as they pass through. They even chuck it in our gardens 😔

Faceon · 26/02/2026 19:09

Well not around my area in Kent.

Not even close