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.

I think it completely depends on where you are and where you’re comparing it to. I also think it depends when you visit. For example, people talk about most of London being relatively clean (for a large city), and for the most part it is pristine. But walk the streets on an early shift at 5:00 AM and you will be disgusted.

I think it is to do with council priorities and general pride by local communities. I’ve seen pavements in Europe clean enough to eat dinner off and others full of shit and litter - in the same countries. It’s a local thing. Plus a litter/poo/fag-end dropper twat thing. And that’s universal.

But, if somewhere is kept clean and tidy, only the twattiest of twats will spoil it.

What is it about the citizens of Japan and Singapore that makes them not act like this though?

Corporal punishment in Singapore from childhood. Death penalty

@Musicaltheatremum @OptimismvsRealism

Edinburgh recently introduced a Low Emission Zone. I heard that some of the bin lorries don't meet modern requirements, therefore litter being collected less frequently than normal, but can't find anything online to confirm if that's true

Europe is a big place. Some places are filthy.
Rome is filthy. Budapest is filthy.
I live near Salzburg and while the old town and touristy bits are clean and presentable, you don't need to go far to find places that are a shit tip.

Not for dropping litter surely?

High expectations, involvement of grandparents as well as parents, a society that values manners and doesn’t tolerate antisocial behaviour, an appreciation of order.

Most of the litter where I live comes from European lorry drivers,I know because I see all the empty cans,bottles,packets etc.We in the nearby village organise litter picks and pick it up! What a revolutionary idea,instead of moaning about it on MN go and pick it up!

The outside isn’t one big bin.

When my fellow litter wombles group pick A roads and lay-bys, we are disgusted by the number of alcoholic drinks- cans and bottles tossed.

Even more Polish beer when driving in Poland they have a zero tolerance to drink driving.

Remember watching one of those Motorway Cops style programmes and pulled over a lorry driver from an Eastern European country (can’t remember which one) and in his lorry cab he had about 80 cans of high strength beer both opened and unopened

For vandalism such as graffiti- yes

The Vandalism Act imposes a mandatory caning sentence of between three and eight strokes for a conviction of vandalism. Caning is not imposed on first-time offenders who use delible substances (e.g. pencil, crayon, chalk) to commit vandalism

Perhaps their societies foster a stronger sense of community than ours. It all started with "The no such thing as society" shit and went downhill from there. We are a nation of individuals not a cohesive society that sees how we all fit together. Austerity broke us further with the government leading by example - "take what you can get" deny responsibility if you get caught, and it's every person for themselves. We're self absorbed and happy to pass the buck, and it's all been led from the top.

Another problem is that facilities for lorry drivers are piss poor. Some businesses who the drivers deliver stuff to don’t allow to use their toilets, a thing that they have kept since Covid and not lifted.

Smelling a split bag of fermented human poo is not a pleasant experience

Everywhere I've visited recently in Europe seems immaculate compared to my home city and other cities I visit for work etc.

Visit Naples

I can’t agree that London is clean. I guess it’s a massive city so there must be huge variations but the touristy bits I went to recently absolutely stank of piss and weed. It was very grubby. First think I did when I got home was strip off and get everything in the washer, including coat, and went straight in the shower.

It depends where you live I suppose. I have complained in the past about rubbish on verges and the council has replied with a schedule of works which are then completed. Our village gets fully cleaned every so often, as a village we organise four clean ups a year. We also have a lovely elderly man who spends every day on his bike going around local areas collecting rubbish. That's society. In Germany you are expected to do the same and keep your location clean as a civic duty. The little shits who speed around our roads are responsible for most of the litter locally, fast food and gas canisters thrown out if cars. We have dog bins for poo which are emptied by the council.

I spend a lot of time in Italy. Outside of the resorts and city centers many areas are shitty. Dirty, abandoned, graffiti everywhere. New projects regularly get started and are abandoned, or take 20 years to complete road works etc, in the meantime they are in shit states. Try going to some of the refugee areas of Rome or Milan, or Paris. Poverty and degradation on a grand scale.

Some businesses who the drivers deliver stuff to don’t allow to use their toilets

Blimey! Are they all Mumsnetters?

Thing is it doesn’t matter if there are not bins… you took whatever item out of your house or shop to where ever you’d decided to dump it. Just keep hold of the rubbish till there is a bin/your home.

Same with lorry drivers. Keep it in your cab till there is a bin. No excuse to just chuck it along the m25 or wherever

I was a quite depressed about the grafitti in Lisbon. Such a stunningly beautiful natural city in the most incredible location overlooking the water, with tiers of terracotta roofed buildings all around on the steep hills, often with original glazed floral tiles in the doorway entrances and iron work balconies. All ruined with graffiti.

Paris & Rome & Budapest are 100% not dirtier that london despite mumsnets endearing loyalty & commitment to making a dig at Paris at every hands turn!

Covent garden & it's immediate environs were absolutely disgustingly dirty when we were there recently. Large restaurant bins overflowing & smelly, rubbish on the ground & generally the city is v grimy

Instead of what? You know they're also responsible for schools, for example? You really should read up a bit on how much money has been taken out of council budgets by central government since 2010.

People in Lisbon are very proud of their graffiti. They claim to have the best graffiti in the world!

I was at a roundabout the other day when a passenger in the car next to me threw loads of rubbish out of the car window and drove off, these sort of people are so scummy. One of my neighbours cleared the rubbish out of their car onto the floor of our shared car park! The rest of the residents and myself cleared up after them as we care about where we live

Thanks for spoiling my amazing fantasy of Paris before going there later this year....😕

With the exception of graffiti, I would agree with the OP. Contributors to this included no litter bins for a period of time when the IRA were most active, and local authority cutbacks.

Chuck it right back in their car! Tell them, dirty arsehole.

Venice smells like crap and many other cities in Germany/ Holland have a lot of drug use and prostitution- seriously open your eyes a little.