To wonder why the UK is so filthy compared to other places?

[OptimismvsRealism]

Everywhere I've visited recently in Europe seems immaculate compared to my home city and other cities I visit for work etc. even the US seems better. What's going on??

Really think filth in public places is at the heart of a lot of our problems.

People don't take pride in their surroundings anymore. Years ago people use to sweep their fronts and get rid of any weeds, didn't drop litter, didn't vandalise bus shelters or anything they come across. Throw litter, vans, bottles, takeaway wrappers in the streets
They just don't care

😂😂😂😂

If only that were true! Unless of course you are being ironic.

What money? Is my response.

In my LA, in just one department ( Children and Young People Services) - you know, safeguarding of vulnerable children, children’s social care, early years, education and schoolimprovement, looked after children, etc etc there is a £5 million drop in funding from the central Conservative government this year alone. £5 million to be saved on top of savings already made year on year overtime, savings that have been achieved.

If we have no money to spend on our very precious children, there is no chance that the library is going to stay open, streets cleaned or waste removed more regularly.

Do you watch the news about councils going bankrupt?

Yes, this. I went to Naples last year and it was truly disgusting.

I do agree and I don’t litter.

however the council is at fault. If bins are overflowing (eg at the beach), some will take litter home, but some will dump beside the bin and it’ll blow around. The bins need to be big enough and emptied enough.

In Majorca recently they were out spraying the streets many nights plus the motorways were amazingly good- I think inner London does suprisingly well for its size. Many councils seem to cope with their town centres but the residential areas leave something to be desired- uncut hedges and verges rewilding that has just been left to turn into a mess etc and as many have said motorways that are a total mess.its part lack of funding, part the rise of so many people not giving a shit

@saveforthat now that is disgusting- took my breath away- literally!!

Yes and what a contrast to the stunningly beautiful Amalfi coast.

In other countries you get fined for littering....we should have really steep fines here, it would be an easy way to generate revenue, and might stop the filth from littering our streets and verges.

I would like to reserve a special corner of hell for beach litter louts. Every weekend the debris is taken out with the tide.

There was absolutely loads of rubbish near the Coliseum in Rome last year. Rome has a city tax as well, they need to spend it on clearing away litter!

Tokyo is even cleaner than Singapore.

I live in Central London. Bins emptied at least 7 times a week- personal and the street bins both rubbish and recycling. Street cleaners daily (certainly every other day). Pavements are immaculate every morning. Not much litter as no takeaways in the immediate vicinity (thanks to pious Victorian builders who didn't allow shops or pubs).

Banning McDonald's packaging would be a good step. It is approx 50% of the street litter that you see out and about. It is mostly tourists to be fair.

In our town, to stop people filling them up, most of the bins (that had large openings) have been blocked off with a circle left a bit bigger than a tennis ball. Trying to get a poo bag in reminds me of playing a game on the cube.

Goodness me, this thread has done hideous explanations. Another one here. I'm not sure anymore who is stirring the sh*t, being ironic or is just thick ( and racist)

Maybe the issue is lack of accountability as UK citizens.

Thinking through the comments…

~ So UK nationals don't drop any litter?
Or
~ Migrants are here in such huge numbers that even if they drop one piece of litter, they are making our country untidy??
Or
~ Migrants are here in small numbers, but they drop so much litter that it outweighs UK nationals and swamps the streets???
( Migrants as a percentage of the total population 14.8%)

Can I ask you please, do you mean all migrants or only some migrants drop litter?
Are you including the 48 Indian migrants employed full time in my DM ‘s nursing home, because there is such a shortgage of British people willing to work in care? Do they drop litter.

Do you mean the 38 South African social workers who have been employed by my LA, as we can't find enough social workers in the UK to take up posts. Do they drop litter?

Do you mean the three Jamaican educational psychologists living and working locally, or the six Philippino people working the the local residential setting for adults with severe learning difficulties again to fill vacancies. The EP jobs advertised over the last three years with no staff recruited.

I can vouch for my local Philipino workers who couldn't drop litter as they hadn't a spare hand as they pushed the wheelchairs of two severely disabled young men around the park.

LOL at those complaining about the rubbish on the streets in Greece. There is hardly any rubbish outside of the tourist season. And I have heard several people in Greece say that the Brits are the biggest sinners in this regard.

You know that Greece is a poor country, right? But you still seem to think that someone is paid to pick up the litter. Yeah.... no. Those who pick it up are the employees in and owners of the surrounding companies, the local residents or girl scouts or pupils or..

I wonder if those other "filthy" European countries are filthy when the tourists aren't there.

I agree but it's catching people, that's the problem. Rules and laws that can't be enforced are next to worthless. Although maybe if a few could be caught and made a real example of, then it might make others think twice.

People who say this are often comparing the grubby and underloved bits of their town to prime, central tourist spots in capital cities

Well said, @MarlieJae

I love NY, but last time I was there (New Year), the streets were fairly manky -- banks of yellow snow frozen into hummocks in the gutters with semi-frozen refuse sacks and dead Christmas trees sticking out of them.

Lots of places in Europe, the US and elsewhere have been filthy for many years while others are pristine. It's exactly the same in the UK.

London is SO dirty and full of litter. I live abroad and am always struck by it when I visit.

Because there are lots of scrubbers.
Only the other day I sat on a bench in town. I avoided the first bench because someone had left a can of pop on it. It took me seconds to see the nearest bin. Approximately 10 feet away.
If you do this you are a dirty scrubber.
There isn’t any excuse at all.
I think people should be clamped down on, maybe given a warning the first time they are seen doing it then heavily fined the next time.
I also agree with fast food places taking someone’s name and address and writing it on there food bags and cups.
They have cameras so people can quite clearly be identified if they claim it wasn’t them who threw their crap on the street.

It was pretty clean when I walked from Waverley to my dentist in Southside last week.

It definitely wasn't. It's a shithole in Newington.

Graffiti is far worse in some European cities where every street is covered in spray tags on buildings, doors, historic architecture etc, so depressing. Littering is the biggest problem I notice in the UK, especially bloody plastic bottles all over the countryside.

I thought London was dirty. Then I went to Cairo 🤢