Countryside folks are dramatic about litter

[Thehonestybox]

I've always lived in big northern industrial cities, but recently my freelance work has meant I've been working a lot in very rural countryside (peak district, moors & Cumbria). At first I was sympathetic everytime a local said something about the litter being a blight, or outsiders climbing hills in flip flops, or people not closing sheep gates, etc etc.

But recently I've just thought - why am I sympathising?!

Us city livers see litter literally EVERYWHERE. I wouldn't dream of leaving my door unlocked at night and antisocial behavior is through the roof. And yet the other day I was working in a rural village and the person I was talking to spotted (with terminator level of vision) a Walkers crisp packet about half a mile away on a hill and I think I literally saw her pulse race through her neck as she said "and THIS is what I'm talking about!! ".

AIBU to wonder why countryside people feel like they should be immune to other people's selfishness?

If I was in Leeds centre and had an aneurysm over an empty packet of Nik Naks I think my colleagues would suggest I take a holiday.

(I suppose I'm referring to fairly wealthy people here, either farmers with land ownership or ex-city early retirees. TBF anyone 'working class' I've met in the countryside has been fairly welcoming to outsiders)

People shouldn’t be leaving litter anywhere. It’s selfish and unnecessary.

in rural areas especially it is also dangerous to wildlife

I get pissed off every time I see litter in the suburbs or city. It's disgusting wherever it is.

Great point! it is sad but the city I think gets lots of litter from the bins not just the litter bugs. we need to get companies to stop using so much plastic, or take responsibility for the litter litter are producing somehow. excuse a lot of it flies out when you take the bins out.

Because livestock eats the litter then dies. Farmers lose money because of lazy people not using a bin. It's not that difficult to understand

If you were a farmer you'd know why. Animals can choke on crisp packets. Litter's horrible everywhere but in the countryside it's a hazard.

Guess you have never tried to get a crisp packet out of a dying swans throat.

Race to the bottom anyone? Littering is selfish and unacceptable anywhere. And hazardous to wildlife and farm animals.

And yes it's arguably even worse in rural areas because of additional wildlife and farm animals but it's disgusting and inexcusable wherever it is.

A middle class bashing thread. Haven't seen one of those for a while.

I don't think litter is good anywhere tbh.

Countryside people have sense and to be applauded then, OP.

But why should we accept it just because you do?
It’s never okay.

Urban areas have council workers specifically tasked with collecting litter ,that makes it no better but where I live there are no council litter collections and it's unfeasible that there ever would be.I live in rural Fermanagh and have never forgotten seeing a dead duck on the loughside with the plastic from a 4 pack of beer tins round it's neck.No-one should litter and it doesn't matter where they live.
I don't understand your linkage between being friendly to outsiders and litter.

People shouldn’t be leaving litter anywhere. It’s selfish and unnecessary.

This.

I live in a village with no litter. If it’s possible here, it’s possible in a town or city.

1- In a town or city you have litter pickers, we get fuck all in the countryside. ( we also don't get many services that you do in a town or city - litter picking is one of them, we get together as a village once a month and do the litter picking ourselves)

2 - it is not a race to the bottom - it is not OK to litter anywhere rather than " it happens in the city so fuck the countryside"

3 - as per pp danger to livestock

4 - pollution of the countryside

I guess you've never seen a sheep/lamb/foal that has choked to death on a released balloon that's come back to earth. Or a horse with half the skin on their back missing thanks to Chinese lanterns. Perhaps the horse with the gash down to the tendon sheath requiring general anaesthetic surgery to even be field sound from a discarded can. Yes Leeds is full of rubbish but this isn't a race to the bottom. Why don't we clean up cities instead of trashing countryside?

Litter is disgusting. Just because some places are a shithole doesn’t mean we should all just accept it.

Oh ffs.

Litter is fucking disgusting. Anywhere.

Yeah but people in the city have their livelihoods destroyed too. A woman who's car was parked in our communal car park had her broken into and laptop stolen and I heard police tell her "well to be fair, you shouldn't leave things like that in your car in a city centre". When I got mugged I was told "yeah its scary, but it's part and parcel of city centre living". We're effectively told we can't complain about it.

I completely agree with you about it being bad- I guess I just get fed up of feeling like city issues not being seen as important or valid. Might just be my experience though

So because there's so much more litter and cities we should just accept it as normal?That's the nub of the problem isn't it?Even myself as an ardent litter picker finds myself almost desensitised to it if I let myself.Another lay by full of filth?Oh dear drive on by because it seems almost insurmountable a task. How about accepting even one crisp packet dropped is What excuse is there ?Wherever the destination be it home or work there will be a bin.We need an absolute zero tolerance to littering before we drown under the stuff.

Climbing hills in flip flops is up to the stupid individual. Leaving gates open is ridiculous, just why? Shut the gate, it’s easy.

Everyone is trying to clean them up, but if someone in Leeds centre moaned about 1 piece of litter people would roll their eyes, so why is countryside more important just because some folk can afford to live there and the rest of us can't?

Climbing hills in flip flops is incredibly stupid and dangerous and may put other people at risk (emergency services/mountain rescue who have to come and get you when you've fallen over the side or tripped and broken your leg).
Leaving farm gates open is also dangerous, animals could wander into the road or let dogs get in among sheep.
Litter can also be dangerous for animals, it's not hard to take it home with you if you're in the city or the country.
It's not only common sense, it's illegal to litter and you can be fined. I've known someone receive a fine for dropping a cigarette end.

AIBU to wonder why countryside people feel like they should be immune to other people's selfishness?

You’ve constructed an entirely ridiculous premise. No one ‘feels like they should be immune’ from selfishness. But there’s no reason to just tolerate it, either.

Might just be my experience though

yep