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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think that the litter on our roads has got to ridiculous levels?

208 replies

inigomontoyahwillcox · 14/03/2023 09:39

Maybe it's just where I live (NW Essex - M11, A11 are my usual major roads) but the amount of litter on the motorways, dual carriageways, and A roads is just crazy! It feels like we're living in a country with minimal infrastructure. It became very clear yesterday during the high winds not only how bloody awful it looks, but also dangerous it is in high winds (we had some litter hit our windshield).

I understand it's hard to collect litter from verges and central reservations due to the traffic, but we seemed to manage in the past (and other countries seem to deal with it) - or has littering/dumping gotten out of control? Where does it all come from anyway? Are people just throwing it out of their windows?!

OP posts:
Coxspurplepippin · 17/03/2023 10:05

Salverus · 17/03/2023 09:54

Unfortunately people don't care enough- I've had a van driver deliberately throwing a coffee cup out of the window and laughing while I was litter picking. I've been litter picking for years and thinking of giving up as it's too depressing.

Awful. It's never happened to us, but did happen to a friend while she was litter picking - car of young men chucked cans and plastic bottles out of a car just in front of her and hung out the windows laughing. Faced with pig ignorance like that, why would you waste your time.

Unless the already existing laws are policed and acted on, culprits are hurt either in the pocket or by being made to clear up the mess they make (and the rest), while school kids just unleash a torrent of abuse if they're asked to pick up a crisp packet, absolutely nothing is going to change.

LakieLady · 17/03/2023 10:10

Goodread1 · 16/03/2023 21:00

I have said this a couple of times quite recently to couple of friends I know, a comments along the lines, makes you wonder what they do with out council tax monies funding

No need to wonder any longer.

Education takes a massive amount and is the most expensive of all council services, with social care the next biggest spend. Those 2 alone account for approx 2/3 of all local authority spending.

Some of it will be the police and fire and rescue precepts, and doesn't go to the councils at all.

Then there are all the smaller statutory services: things like libraries, trading standards, environmental health, planning, building control and weird odds and sods like the registration and coroner's services.

Highways and transport spending (including spending on public transport) where I live was less than 5% of the total spend of both councils last time I looked at the budget breakdown. As almost all the roads in this county (and the neighbouring one, now that I think about it) are "county roads" and not managed by the Highways Agency, the cost of maintaining them has to come out of the council's budget. In areas with a lot of motorways and major trunk routes, the busiest roads aren't the council's responsibility.

There is limited scope for making savings from the education budget, because most of it is delegated to schools under a set formula, and savings in social care are hard to make because it is essentially needs-driven. Every time cuts have to be made because the central government grant isn't keeping pace with inflation, the axe falls on the smaller services, like libraries and highways.

Disclaimer: breakdowns may be different in London boroughs/met authorities/city councils where there's only one tier of local government, but I wouldn't think there's a massive variation.

LakieLady · 17/03/2023 10:29

topofbighill · 17/03/2023 07:46

Yes, awful. But how does a team of litter pickers safely pick at the side of carriageways etc?

Maybe they should close the roads for a couple of hours to enable safe litter picking.

As it's drivers who put the litter there in the first place, let them be inconvenienced by their own laziness.

Abra1t · 17/03/2023 11:28

I agree. You could publicize road closures and google maps etc probably pick them up as well, but if it inconveniences some of the people who drop the litter, then so much the better. Sometimes the stick works better than the carrot.

Rhythmisadancer · 17/03/2023 11:31

I have been saying this for several years - it's like we live in a huge landfill site any time you drive anywhere. I think it used to get picked up, it was never this bad, but it is utterly disgusting and I hate it

KnittedCardi · 17/03/2023 11:32

LakieLady · 17/03/2023 10:29

Maybe they should close the roads for a couple of hours to enable safe litter picking.

As it's drivers who put the litter there in the first place, let them be inconvenienced by their own laziness.

Because (unless it is a motorway) you can legally walk alongside A roads etc. As noted above, we have local groups who go out and collect alongside dual carriageways, no problem. But the council won't do it unless it is closed off.

QuertyGirl · 17/03/2023 11:37

If we had less disposable packaging and fewer people travelling by car, it wouldn't need so much picking up

Salverus · 17/03/2023 11:56

QuertyGirl · 17/03/2023 11:37

If we had less disposable packaging and fewer people travelling by car, it wouldn't need so much picking up

Well yes, but sadly we don't.

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