To HATE the litter problem we have in the UK

[NameChangeLifeChange]

We live in a city suburb and the litter is appalling. Constant- occasionally the council do a good clean but it’s back within a day. We had family visiting from Australia and I was so embarrassed by the state of our streets. We live in a relatively nice city suburb but there is so much litter. I will on occasion litter pick locally but it’s too big a job for me.
Is if a cultural thing? There are some areas with a lot more litter than others and the social/cultural make up is very different- does this explain it? I rarely see anyone actively dropping the litter so I wouldn’t like to ‘blame’ anyone with evidence.
How can we fix it? The UK is so dirty compared to so many other countries. Obviously I never litter and try to impress the importance of not littering on my children but it’s a farce as our local area is covered.

@NameChangeLifeChange Norway. They don't tolerate any anti social behavior in their communal spaces. People aren't scared to call others out either.
I wouldn't dare litter here. Not that I would but it's so socially unacceptable it seems like you are damaging the social contract.

Fines already exist, quite high for flytipping or other large offences.

But since the Tories cut council budgets there's no one to investigate and issue fines.

But I wouldn't enjoy Singapore rules, personally.

DH and I litter pick locally, it's really depressing how much there is. Nearly all of it is from junk food or drink.

People now seem incapable of walking anywhere without a cup of coffee in their hand. Oddly, they’re fine to carry it when it has liquid in it, but when it’s empty it somehow becomes an insurmountable burden which must be discarded at the earliest opportunity, whether or not there is a bin.

In the summer, I did some litter picking in the local park. Someone had had a party and dumped all their rubbish by (not in) the bins. The actual bins were empty. Foxes had torn it all open and it was everywhere. At least five people walked past as I was picking it all up and commented that there should be bigger bins. I told them that instead people should take their rubbish away with them.

People also seem to think that balancing their rubbish and dogshit bags on top of or next to a full bin counts as disposing of it responsibly. Having had to empty these bins, what happens is that you pull the bin out and everything piled on top falls on the floor. You then have to spend 20 minutes picking it all up. While you’re doing that, people walk over and throw their coffee cups and dogshit bags into the rubbish bag that you’re trying to fill, usually without saying a single word to you.

In my experience, most people in public environments are rude, lazy, entitled cunts.

I used to live next door to one of these litter bugs , it was a nightmare . It shouldn't have been because the house went with her husbands job and they should have known better . The whole street knew it was her .
Dirty nappies on the front garden (her DH would have a bollocking at work for this).
Would open the car door after a trip Mcd and throw the rubbish from the car into the street.
Had a row with the bin men for putting nappies in recycling bin , they refused to empty it .
She just did care, she was pretty much disliked by everyone in the street .
God I hated her, was so glad to move .😁

@Spectre8 what are the fines in Singapore?

The UK litter problem is too depressing to contemplate. We need a solution. What do the politicians and councils say about this now?

I think if you are caught knowingly littering, it should be an instant fine and x amount of hours litter picking.
Its making the punishment fit the crime. I think it would make them think twice.

I once sat at traffic lights behind a black SVU. The driver wound down the window and dropped a HUGE bag of Maccy d's. I was so shocked. She just drove off not giving a fuck.
This was Manchester which is one of the dirtiest places i have ever visited.

It's the most depressing thing to come back to after going abroad.

Sadly you can not change peoples behaviour so it’s time councils accepted that there’s a large number of lazy uneducated slovenly scumbags who need to be cleaned up after continuously. Otherwise our streets look like a third world slum.

Anyone who drops litter on purpose out of sheer laziness- fuck you, dickhead. 😡

I hate it too and we have very good facilities

The lack of recycling is depressing too when it is easy to do

Absolutely agree!

We once followed a range rover for about 40 miles through Kielder. Every five miles or so a window in the car would open and a can or a crisp packet or drink bottle would be hurled out of the window. Never have I so wanted to drive a Sherman tank.

Maybe we need an anti litter campaign in schools again.

Abandoned shopping trolleys are everywhere in my town now. This is a new thing and certainly can’t be blamed on the council.

Also empty boxes from those bloody disposable vapes so popular with kids. When I passed a newsagents by the train station where they all congregate yesterday there was a carpet of trampled vape boxes - doesn’t take a genius to work out where it’s coming from so it’s disappointing no action is taken, either wrt to the litter or to stop children buying them in the first place.

First time offenders who throw small items like cigarette butts or candy wrappers are fined $300. Those who throw out bigger items like drink cans or bottles are considered defiant and are required to appear before the court. The punishment usually involves a Corrective Work Order (CWO), where the offenders clean up a specified area while wearing a bright luminous green vest.

They have lots of cleaners and bins have monitors on them that alert cleaners to bins that are full.

Japan on other hand just have it ingrained as part of their culture and kids are taught from a young age.

I do think we need to be much more tougher with fines and as a society if we see People littering almost shame them into picking it up so it becomes socially accepted not to litter

I lived in a wealthy suburb in north west England and it was appallingly dirty. I hated coming out on weekend mornings with my dogs and having to zigzag through vomit, broken glass, chicken bones… all sorts. The council had two people employed full time to constantly walk up and down the high street and other busy areas cleaning up, they did an amazing job but there was always way too much litter for them to ever make it look nice.

I now live in Stockholm and I very rarely see anyone cleaning the streets, but they are so much cleaner.

it might be partly due to the binge drinking culture in the UK since the majority of litter seems to turn up over night. Once people get drunk they no longer care or take any pride in their surroundings.

It truly stuns me when I see someone drop litter.

It disgusts me too. I honestly believe that anyone who litters is a worthless scumbug who doesn't deserve to live on this earth. It's pure laziness and disrespect for everyone around you.

I wish there were consequences for people who litter.

I don't think our takeaway food culture helps either

I completely agree.

I live semi-rurally on the outskirts of a poor city suburb in the Midlands.

The turn off the motorway and the roundabout, slip-road, dual carriageway into the city is a disgrace. The verges are a foot deep in litter, torn black bags hang in trees, the road signs are dented and filthy, traffic cones and sandbags are strewn in hedges. Its a truly awful first impression.

Ive noticed that the nicer areas of the country are always clean and tidy, with tasteful, minimal, street architecture and black bins and proper black railings and pretty street lights.

Here, all the railings are modern and grey, the bridges are painted garish blue or red, theres an overuse of road markings and the bins are bright blue and brown. Completely tasteless.

Occasionally, I'll walk down my road, which is lovely, generally and very leafy and someone will have emptied the contents of their car at the side of the road. Its usually fast food, Starbucks, Monster cans etc.. plus bottles of wee and empty fag packets and rizzlas.

So to answer op, yes, I think it is cultural but also poor education and a lack of care for ones surroundings and the environment. Its very sad but I dont know what the answer is. Its a direct link though I think between the mindset of the inhabitants and the surroundings.

We used to live in a very mixed (socially) are of east London. Opposite our house was a stretch with no houses just the back gardens of the houses one road over. Near a corner shop. People would drive up park opposite, go in the shop, eat whatever they bought and then dump the wrappings out their car window onto the pavement. Like there was a bin there. Plus whatever other rubbish had been in the car. I used to hate dragging the kids through it each day. Couldn’t get my head round it.

I used to work in a filling station - we had massive bins everywhere which we regularly emptied, but we still used to get cunts emptying their car of litter in the car wash. I question if that's even laziness - it seemed like it was deliberately shitty behaviour to me. I've challenged people dropping litter and they seem amazed.

Ive challenged people dropping litter too and their response was that if we all cleaned up after ourselves, we'd be taking someone's job away.

Honestly!

Ive noticed that the nicer areas of the country are always clean and tidy, with tasteful, minimal, street architecture and black bins and proper black railings and pretty street lights.

Here, all the railings are modern and grey, the bridges are painted garish blue or red, theres an overuse of road markings and the bins are bright blue and brown. Completely tasteless.

I also think there is a link between an ugly built environment and people not caring for it. It’s not the only factor, of course, or you wouldn’t get people littering beauty spots, but I think it’s a significant one. There is a condescending view that people aren’t really aware of ugly surroundings or that they like things like bright red bridges and bins, when they’re clearly not easy on the eye and not seen in ‘nice’ areas.

I was disappointed to see all the wooden benches in our town were replaced with plastic wood-effect benches when nearby towns have upgraded with more attractive street furniture. They’re trying to improve the town centre and this is a misstep IMO - I expect they think the inhabitants won’t notice, but I believe these cheap and nasty benches are only going to encourage people to trash them.

Ive noticed that the nicer areas of the country are always clean and tidy, with tasteful, minimal, street architecture and black bins and proper black railings and pretty street lights.

Here, all the railings are modern and grey, the bridges are painted garish blue or red, theres an overuse of road markings and the bins are bright blue and brown. Completely tasteless.

I also think there is a link between an ugly built environment and people not caring for it. It’s not the only factor, of course, or you wouldn’t get people littering beauty spots, but I think it’s a significant one. There is a condescending view that people aren’t really aware of ugly surroundings or that they like things like bright red bridges and bins, when they’re clearly not easy on the eye and not seen in ‘nice’ areas.

I was disappointed to see all the wooden benches in our town were replaced with plastic wood-effect benches when nearby towns have upgraded with more attractive street furniture. They’re trying to improve the town centre and this is a misstep IMO - I expect they think the inhabitants won’t notice, but I believe these cheap and nasty benches are only going to encourage people to trash them.

I agree, it seems unimportant but its not. A pleasant - beautiful built environment is crucial in determining how people feel and react to their surroundings.

If people feel a town or their city is a dump, they'll treat it as such.

I agree with a pp who said the lack of bins doesn't help but i believe they were removed because they kept being set on fire.