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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

the mentality behind people who leave their trash in parkland/nature reserves

90 replies

Dogsovercats · 03/06/2020 17:35

I just can't fathom why people do this. Where do they think their lucozade bottles, plastic cups, sandwich wrappers are going to go?

I've just picked up a whole carrier bags worth of stuff on my dog walk (and there's more) and it just makes me so mad.

What's worse, the parkland we walk in, has cows and horses grazing over the summer so these innocent animals could be harmed. Not to mention the amount of discarded chicken bones and other food leftovers my dog has scoffed before I realize.

Why do some have no respect for the environment in this day and age?

OP posts:
Knoxinbox · 03/06/2020 20:04

Selfish or just low intelligence...??

I don’t know but it’s disgusting

This news story yesterday made me want to weep with frustration at how fucking shitty some people are.... used sanitary products and human waste littering the cliffs!!!?! AngryEnvy

MarthasGinYard · 03/06/2020 20:04

Yanbu

Filthy scum

Just the ones probably chomping at the bit for their 2 weeks all inclusive in Turkey

Grim

LST · 03/06/2020 20:05

Its vile. We have a van and camp out all the time. When we leave you wouldn't have even known we were there. As it should be.

GhostCurry · 03/06/2020 20:08

Thank you for picking up that rubbish, OP. I know you shouldn’t have to but thank you.

TheRealShatParp · 03/06/2020 20:11

YANBU, OP. I often wonder the same thing. I just can’t get my head around it.

emilybrontescorsett · 03/06/2020 20:16

This has been one of the benefits of lockdown. Much cleaner areas where I live. Along with being able to walk around without some vile twat shouting sexist comments.
There was a post on FB from our local police force showing the litter left after people had visited MacDonalds, appalling.
Some people think others will clean up after them.
I used to see this when I worked in primary school too.
Manly boys not clearing up, they were told in no uncertain terms to sort out their mess as I was certainly not here to clean up after them.

SimonJT · 03/06/2020 20:28

I live in London and our parks in Hackney have had the odd bit of rubbish, but not to the extent of other places from pictures I have seen. It made me wonder if its people who wouldn’t usually go out for outdoors sake, so value it less than the people who would usually use outdoor spaces.

Windyatthebeach · 03/06/2020 20:31

Beach dweller here... Our place has been a bloody dump this past fortnight.. How the council managed to get a photographer to take a pic of a worker with a new cart is beyond me. I think he actually brought it with him as a prop...
This is the reality..

the mentality behind people who leave their trash in parkland/nature reserves
crazycatgal · 03/06/2020 20:54

Our local park is full of beer/cider bottles, beer cans and picnic waste. It seems to be groups of people in their teens and 20s who are meeting up and discarding all of the empty cans and bottles. I am also mid 20s before i'm accused of targeting that age group.

We went for a picnic last weekend, bins were full so we put the bag of rubbish back in the backpack and took it home with us, but the difference is that we care about other people and our environment.

Runnerduck34 · 03/06/2020 22:03

It is awful behaviour, a few days ago i saw someone wind down there car window and chuck rubbish out whilst waiting at a junction ,ffs god knows what goes on in these peoples heads ( if anything)
I also can't understand when people leave their empty drinks cups, popcorn buckets etc under their seat at the cinema like its beneath them to put their own rubbish in the bin on the way out.
Then theres the dog owners who hang bags of dog poo on trees in the pretext they'll come back for them- but they never do. Rant over 🤣

Mercedes519 · 03/06/2020 22:07

In our local park the bins were overflowing so people just piled the rubbish around them. What did they think would happen?!

It’s very much a local park so everyone walks to it. So max 10 minutes to walk back to your house and put it in the sodding bin!

As a PP says, maybe it’s people who wouldn’t normally use the parks. The sooner they stop the better!!!

Windyatthebeach · 03/06/2020 22:09

I called out a couple who pretended they hadn't noticed ther ddog have a big poo and kept walking.
I shouted excuse me I think you have left something... They looked back and went back to pick it up....
I was very polite when is didn't feel it!

ProudMarys · 03/06/2020 22:10

Yeah, I really don't get "let's go out to this beauty spot to enjoy nature" then mess it up by leaving our trash Confused

madcatladyforever · 03/06/2020 22:12

Because it's time human beings had an extinction event.

CatBatCat · 03/06/2020 22:13

Several fires on the Peaks already this year from discarded bbqs.

jgjgjgjgjg · 03/06/2020 22:14

In the short term, of course people shouldn't leave their litter if the bins are full. But in the longer term we absolutely need to provide more bins (and toilets too). We know the types of places people like to go and spend their spare time, i'ts not rocket science. We also know which bins are constantly overflowing. So why on earth do we not provide more bins??

bananachocolate · 03/06/2020 22:19

I have a vague memory of being taught at school that less bins was more effective at reducing littering because it encourages people to take it home with them and dispels the idea that someone is going to clean up after them. I can't remember the details and have no idea of the accuracy though.

A big problem I've seen lately is people dumping rubbish beside overflowing bins. If they're full take it home, placing it next to the bin is not the same.

woodhill · 03/06/2020 22:23

Has it become worse because of the councils not taking away rubbish weekly from homes.

We are very fortunate and still have weekly collections but I try to recycle and if I went out now I would take everything in reusable tupperware anyway

Giespeace · 03/06/2020 22:24

People like this make the steam come out my ears! Just horrible, thoughtless, ignorant, stupid, entitled twats the whole rotten lot of them.
There cannot be bins every few metres - people need to take some responsibility for their own shit.
Angry

crazycatgal · 03/06/2020 22:25

How are more bins going to help the people who leave empty cider bottles on and around benches nowhere near the full bins. These people don't even attempt to take their rubbish to a bin. It's down to their attitude.

TheSherbetTurbot · 03/06/2020 22:31

I'm not really understanding why this problem seems to have become worse over the last few weeks? Where I live we get lots of visitors from out of town, it's a very touristy place. Why is it so bad now when it doesn't ever seem to be such an issue even in the height of the tourist season normally. When we have the same amount of bins around then, as we do now?

polkadotpjs · 03/06/2020 22:37

It's foul by me right now for sweet wrappers and bottles and SO much more dog poo. Huge dollops of it. Just left. It's making me rage
But I had a big argument with a youth who lobbed a Fanta bottle onto a verge while heavily pregnant (me obviously) and nearly went into labour "do you think you're fucking green peace?!" Was his retort. I've said in my younger days if we left all people who drop litter on an island somewhere, the planet would be a nicer place. Littering shows total disregard for so much - places, people. I love the im a twat I drop litter shame shirt idea

Timesdone · 03/06/2020 22:49

I was absolutely horrified at seeing the remains of complete picnics left on a beach a few years back. Empty bins were available nearby. I contacted the local council to ask why they weren't present in the beach handing out fines. Their response was that they empty the bins frequently. A defensive, rather than a proactive response. It doesn't matter how often they empty the bins. The problem is people not using the bins in the first place.

00100001 · 03/06/2020 22:52

@jgjgjgjgjg

In the short term, of course people shouldn't leave their litter if the bins are full. But in the longer term we absolutely need to provide more bins (and toilets too). We know the types of places people like to go and spend their spare time, i'ts not rocket science. We also know which bins are constantly overflowing. So why on earth do we not provide more bins??
It's not the lack of bins that's the problem. Its the fact people leave their litter everywhere, regardless of number of bins. As well as the additional cost if purchasing, maintaining and emptying those bins. Which means taxes go up...when all the filthy creatures have to do is take it home to our in their own bin...

Saying there aren't enough bins, smells ofvictim blaming...well maybe if she wasn't wearing a shirt skirt.... Maybe if he hadn't left his laptop in view.... Maybe they should have provided more bins....

00100001 · 03/06/2020 22:54

@TheSherbetTurbot

I'm not really understanding why this problem seems to have become worse over the last few weeks? Where I live we get lots of visitors from out of town, it's a very touristy place. Why is it so bad now when it doesn't ever seem to be such an issue even in the height of the tourist season normally. When we have the same amount of bins around then, as we do now?
Because they wouldn't be out on the beaches etc so much. They'd be at work and doing normal weekend stuff.