Have you ever left litter?

[pinkflask]

I’m not naturally a “frother” who gets bent out of shape about lockdown rules and so on, and I totally understand why people flock to parks and beauty spots, but I honestly do not understand why people leave litter lying around. I’m really not a massive “rules” fan although generally law abiding but I could honestly, hand in heart say I have NEVER intentionally left litter anywhere, and if I have created litter it was a sweet wrapper or receipt blown out of my hand by the wind I couldn’t catch.

I just couldn’t do it! I don’t leave stuff on the table at McDonald’s either. It’s just so ingrained in me. I don’t think this makes me exceptional either, I thought most people felt like this. But clearly not!

Will anyone here admit to being a litterer? Have you thrown packets out of the window on a car journey? Left picnic detritus in a park? Gone home from a festival leaving your camping stuff behind? (This enrages me! I DO NOT GET IT!)

No, although I would like it if our council emptied public bins more than once a fortnight. Most are open topped so when they are more than 1/2 full anything in the top half just blows out, then we have some bins with small holes you can get your hand through, so your rubbish has to be torn into little bits.

Not intentionally.

I don't get it either. Around here over lockdown a group of people started litter picking and they have done a brilliant job,
They regularly post on FB saying they have found things like 30 bottles of wee in a layby etc. Also one layby they did they returned in the afternoon to find a delivery driver departing having chucked all of his rubbish out first. This layby has bins too.

Some people just do not care.

Absolutely not. My brother is a teacher. A girl in his class made a mess from crushed up biscuits and bits of paper, where she'd been sitting in his lesson. He told her to clear it up. She refused and said

"I'm not a fucking cleaner, that's what cleaners are for."

This is the kind of attitude that our young people are growing up with.

No, I haven't. I would be surprised if you got many/any people on MN admitting to littering.

I was brought up not to litter, so it's instinctive for me to find a bin or if there isn't one, to take my rubbish home.

I also have some 'portable ashtrays' that I keep in my bags to avoid cigarette-related litter.

No. I’ve had the occasional item blow away and haven’t been able to catch it.

I follow the stoner code and collect a bag rather than drop a roach.
I can't understand where this volume of litter comes from.
I think they must be taking shite from home.

@Druidlookingidiot

Absolutely not. My brother is a teacher. A girl in his class made a mess from crushed up biscuits and bits of paper, where she'd been sitting in his lesson. He told her to clear it up. She refused and said

"I'm not a fucking cleaner, that's what cleaners are for."

This is the kind of attitude that our young people are growing up with.

I had a child say that to me. I was the end of the first lesson and I had another lesson straighter after with them so I got a cleaner to drop of a hoover - I gave them a choice of hoover up or detention.

I am also a table tidier/cleaner and wouldn't leave a pub/restaurant table in a mess but loads do as they think it's not their job. That's what the staff are paid to do.

Pretty sure I did as a drunk 18 year old. Not since then though

Yes, I’m not sure many people will admit to it, but by the sheer volume of stuff out there it must be a large proportion of people who do leave litter, and some of them must be on here! I’d just like to know what goes through their heads - is it as simple as “someone else will do it?”

On a serious note, unless you actually know why people litter, it’s hard to deter them or find ways to change behaviour.

Again not intentionally. I wouldn't purposely discard rubbish in an inappropriate place.

Odd bits that escape and I can't reclaim, blow away in the wind etc. I got back from a dog walk the other day and realised I wasn't carrying the poo bag, first time that has ever happened and I felt bad, but not bad enough to redo an hour walk to see if I could find it. That type of thing.

No, if a bin is full I take it home but I'm from an era of "keep Britain tidy" adverts.

never.
I always take it home with me.

I don’t understand it either. I often see people carefully balancing their rubbish on an overflowing bin and when it falls to the floor, they shrug and walk off. Why can’t they take it to the next bin which isn’t overflowing or take it home with them? It’s infuriating and ruins picnics in the park as you are sitting in a sea of rubbish, and dog walks are spent dragging the dog away from eating junk.

It’s always younger people that I see littering but perhaps that is because I live in an area with a young demographic.

I get so angry with the selfishness of these people.

Yes, as an autistic teenager struggling to fit in I often acted the clown and did a lot of stupid things. Proudly throwing my wrappers onto the ground was one of them. I probably outgrew this when I left school and started working as the dynamics changed and instead of hanging about in parks and streets we went to pubs.

As a now 40+ woman with a diagnosis and understanding of myself I am thoroughly ashamed of a lot of my younger behaviour.

No never. It's a sign of complete narcissism.
I read an article in the Sunday Times this week saying we are the most littered developed country in the world. It's pathetic.

yes, if the bin is full you take the litter home, it's not hard. Don't put it next to/on top of the bin. What's that all about?
Next thing you know the seagulls are ripping it all to shreds...

There really is a lot of litter in this country. When you come back from somewhere like Canada you really see how dirty everywhere is. However in Europe I noticed a lot of graffiti which seems to have very much died out since I was young.

I live by the beach and walked past a family enjoying a takeaway in their car . When I walked back their boxes and drink cans were left where the car was . The bin was just behind them . Much to my son’s surprise I picked up the rubbish so it would not blow around . What example were these parents setting to their children?Keep Britain Tidy used to visit school and show us pictures of rubbish and rats !

Never. Not ever. It's disgusting behaviour. Although i will fling food out of the car window into the hedges if i think its suitable for the birds/cats/foxes etc but i dont think thats quite the same. It does bother me though if anyone sees me do it and thinks im a scummy littering bugger. In the supermarket carpark yesterday, in an empty parking space, there were macdonald bags and cups on either side of the space, clearly where the driver and passenger had just dumped their rubbish out of their doors. There aren't enough swear words for these people.

No never, ever. I’m the person that yells out of the car window if I see someone drop something or runs after them with what they’ve dropped to say ‘you dropped this’.
It boils my blood. It’s so unnecessary and selfish and rude.
My kids are the same (although they have no qualms about leaving crisp packets around the house 🙄)

Ha, yes, I threw an apple core out of the car into the hedgerow when I was driving home from work and then felt wracked with guilt in case someone nearby thought it was rubbish!

I live close to a retail park and the manager of the McDs has staff pick litter twice a day along the dual carriageway.
Despite there being multiple big bins around.

I have literally never left litter, it was always ingrained in me from a young age not to. I don’t understand why anyone would. But I don’t think anyone will admit if they do.

I'm in forrin.
the on-the-spot fine for littering or dog fouling is 190€
there are quite a few park wardens that do regular walks.
there is a lot less litter a ouf than in uk.
especially on the verge of motorways.