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!)

@Jocasta2018

I remember living in central London when all the bins had been removed due to the IRA. Most people got into the habit of taking their rubbish home then but it wasn't such a disposable culture back then either. Used to confuse the hell out of the tourists!

I remember at one point the bins were removed from all railway stations due to bomb scares. I don't think in those days we had quite such a snacking culture - no Costa Coffees for instance, not as many fast food outlets as there are nowadays - so there was probably less litter being created.

No, I grew up with the Wombles!
Once, about 20 years ago I left a free newspaper on a low wall outside Leeds station, this is where papers were commonly left for incoming passengers. The person behind picked it up, and handed it back to me with the words “I think this is yours”. That told me! Never done it since. The inside of my car looks like a tip, but I never drop litter outside, and go to great pains to chase anything that blows away.

Gone home from a festival leaving your camping stuff behind

We did the opposite of this once, the people next to us had a much nicer tent than our cheap, tiny 2 man one so when we were sure they had really left and weren't taking it with them my friend packed it up and took it home, it would only have ended up in a skip otherwise.

I've definitely littered when my children were small. Not intentionally, but it's happened.

At a park on breezy days, packing up preschooler and baby and picnic, I've certainly had the odd thing blow away and not chased it because of aforementioned preschooler and baby.

Way back when sky laterns were very new and no one talked about the dangers, we lit some sky lanterns. God, they were beautiful to watch. Not OK, but still beautiful.

@FionnulaTheCooler

Gone home from a festival leaving your camping stuff behind

We did the opposite of this once, the people next to us had a much nicer tent than our cheap, tiny 2 man one so when we were sure they had really left and weren't taking it with them my friend packed it up and took it home, it would only have ended up in a skip otherwise.

Me and DH used to walk our dog in the park where the V Festival was held. One year we went there the day after the festival ended. There was litter everywhere and we came across a pair of Timberland boots in my size that looked new.

I spoke to one of the people clearing up and he said "it you find anything just take it". He said he had found 2 unopened bottles of whisky and a really nice leather jacket.

No never but then I like things to be clean and tidy and I'd say I'm more particular than 90% of the people I know.

From experience, I'd say people's thinking goes as follows:

They dont consider litter or mess at all
They don't care enough to do the right thing
They only care about their space being clean
By littering, they think they're creating jobs for litter pickers, which is a good thing, right?

I also agree with people who've said that litter bins are badly designed, too small, open etc. and not emptied frequently enough.

I regularly pick litter from the hedgerows opposite my house and have collected:

• old laptops
• beer cans
• spirit bottles
• cigarette packets
• cigarette lighters
• black bags filled with all sorts
• bottles filled with urine
• dog poo bags
• Fast food boxes
• coffee cups
• wing mirrors
• wheel trims
• tyres
• rear view mirrors
• fishing wire
• crisp packets
• carrier bags filled with all sorts
• clothes
• sunglasses

I think only a public education program and shaming can change attitudes.

I think I did in my teens, when I couldn't find a bin. Luckily, I'm not the same person as I was and could not physically bring myself to drop litter now.

I did once when I was about 10 and unknown to me my mum was walking down the street behind me. It didn't go down well.

The government are looking at cigarette manufacturers to help clear litter:

www.gov.uk/government/news/government-explores-next-steps-to-clean-up-tobacco-litter-in-england

No never. In fact this morning I chased down the road after a disposable face mask that had blew from under the pushchair on the school run.

I don’t understand why anyone would. There are bins everywhere.

I would imagine it’s the same people who don’t pick up their dog’s shit or leave it hanging in poo bags on bushes

Never and it's something I hammer home to the DC - I'm disgusted at what is left strewn round our local area - our local
Park is full
Of rats as well! Disgusting people I just don't know how they can have that mindset!

I am taking my six year old litter picking this weekend.
When I went to Glastonbury in 2013 I was absolutely appalled by the behaviour of many young people there. There are so many bins yet many groups would eat their food and just get up and move on leaving half eaten plates, knives, forks etc. It's not great standing on a half eaten goan fish curry while watching the rolling stones. I will not be going back.

We live next to fields over last 2 days because of warmer weather lots of groups of teens have gathered and had picnics drinks and played football, I took dogs out and I kid you not the place was covered in litter. Plastic bottles, food wrappers, beer cans .The grass look multi coloured because of the sheer volume of rubbish simply left. The birds were snooping through it all and it just looked so sad. It completely depressed me. I said to my partner this is why the planet’s doomed ,this is the young generation.
I was really strict with my kids about litter and they don’t leave it around.
My mother in law once tried to bury a bag full of rubbish on the beach. I was horrified and spoke to her about it. She said it doesn’t matter the sea will wash it away! 😱

I don't think lack of bins is an excuse. People have had to carry food, drink etc to wherever they eat it so why is it difficult to carry the empty wrappings back?

Also I don't honestly think even bins every couple of yards would make a difference. I used to live near a school and would see children all the time coming out of the shop by the school which had a bin right outside and throw sweet papers, crisp packets etc on the pavement by the bin. If I dared say anything to them I would usually get a load of abuse and foul language.

I know live very close to a hospital. The staff car park has always been full of litter such as sandwich wrappers, drink cans, cigarette ends etc but now is also full of face masks. It's disgusting. There are no bins in the car park but just across the road from it there are 2.

You won’t get anyone to admit to doing it currently/as an adult. People don’t do it out of ignorance, they know perfectly well it’s unacceptable and generally reviled behaviour, they just don’t care or they think they’re clever or funny. And people like that will be on mumsnet, but they won’t come into the thread, they’ll just roll their eyes and scroll on by. And for that reason I think you either have to drill it into impressionable children that it’s an arsehole’s trick, or you have to have draconian penalties that are widely enforced, or both.
My impression is that most littering is done either by teenagers, or by people throwing it out of cars- the verges next to slip roads and roundabouts are by far the worst affected areas. I’d be in favour of putting points on the car owner’s license for the latter.

I have never ever littered on purpose, always pick up three pieces of rubbish in natural areas and think on purpose littering should be a beheadable offence!

Never. Truly dont understand the mentality of those that do.

I once spent ages wandering round a London train station searching for a bin. Couldn't find one, asked a member of staff where I could find a bin and was told to just leave it on a nearby wall and it would be cleared away by a cleaner later. I did leave it because I'd been told to and didn't want to seem like I was rude /ignoring them by continuing to carry the rubbish round with me. I'd never left litter anywhere before and it felt so incredibly wrong doing it. I haven't done it since.

Very rarely do you see an admission to littering on purpose, either here or on social media. They know it is an awful thing to do. They don't care.

Never. I was a bit of a nightmare when I was a teenager but I'd walk a mile to find a bin, or carry my rubbish home.

You are either brought up correctly, taught to respect other people and your surroundings.
Or you are dragged up.

My biggest pet hate is people throwing rubbish out of a car.

I can honestly say I have never left litter. Always known it wasn’t ok and drummed in to me to take it home if unable to bin it. Been picking up on my daily walks for the last two years. Started a litter picking group a few months ago as my children and I started weekly picks last year. Litter makes my blood boil.

I litter sometimes. I’m a postie and sometimes when I’m emptying a pillar box you find someone has posted litter. In that case I just empty the box and let the litter fall to the ground.