Who taught their offspring it’s ok to litter?

[Nutmuncher]

The amount of litter I see on streets and roads every single day is just astounding, in fact it’s mind blowing and I’m left wondering how so many parents (of adults not just children) failed to instill the basic fundamental of you don’t ever litter, that it’s shameful, lazy, dangerous to wildlife and makes our environment look terrible.

How low does their self awareness have to be in order to think it’s ok I’ll throw it out of the window if you’re drinking from a plastic bottle on the roads? How entitled does one have to be to leave their dogs poo bag on a footpath? What mentality thinks I know I’ll just leave this pile of McDonalds packaging under the car then… drive off?

If you are are litter thrower please explain your thinking because I’m desperate to understand what went so catastrophically wrong in your development that you think it’s acceptable to do?

I don't get it either. It was drilled into me, and I drilled it into my DC. I'm always a bit shocked when I see an adult just casually toss an empty can of red bull out of their car window and onto a country lane

Sometimes parents do everything right and their children still do stupid, thoughtless things as adults.

Totally agree!! We were in beautiful part of Scotland a few years ago and car in front chucked rubbish out if window. Beggars belief. By the side of some roads its absolutely disgusting.

This makes me furious!

I walk my dog every day in the same beautiful parkland.
In the summer I have to be so careful because of the shocking mess left behind-chicken bones etc.

People manage to carry a full picnic out onto the grass, eat the picnic and then are suddenly unable to clear up the mess??? So they leave it.

They have come from other places to picnic here because it is beautiful and then they trash it.

I loathe people who litter.

I hate it too OP. Where I live now, there is a wonderful army of volunteer litter pickers that I see out regularly and, my word, it makes such a difference! My kids school also go out with them at least once a year, which is wonderful!
But where I used to live, it was exactly as you describe. Litter and dog shit everywhere.
I had a 5 minute walk to work and would literally be turd hopping the whole way! I think it shows a general societal shift towards individualism rather than being a part of a community and taking pride in that community.

It's disgraceful, but it's often the parents doing it in FRONT of the children. I came out of a supermarket recently and a father and his kid were eating McDonald's. I watched as the dad just opened the door and put all the rubbish on the floor.

I went straight over and posted it back through the window whilst doing a whole little spiel about how Daddy has been very bad but he's going to take all the rubbish and put it in a proper bin. The Dad actually had the good grace to look embarrassed but STILLL - what is wrong with people?

What @GrumpySparkler said nails it IMO.
‘I think it shows a general societal shift towards individualism rather than being a part of a community and taking pride in that community.’

It’s how brazen people are when they do it, there is no hesitation because it’s a normal thing for them to do. The problem seems to have grown exponentially in the last couple of years and I’m genuinely intrigued to know what has gone wrong at a societal level, it says a lot about a person if they litter but what does it say when it’s so endemic?

I'm 50 and remember constant Keep Britain Tidy campaigns when I was a little kid. Doomposting.

I was taught 'to take nothing but photo's and leave nothing but footprints' which i drilled into mine (to the point I would carry a carrier bag around and then we'd find a bin/take it home)

My mate taught her kids to just throw it on the floor-i was shocked when the little one didn't want her chocolate bar so was told to 'just throw it on the floor'

I did pull her up on it and pointed out there was a bin 5 yards away but was told 'I cant be bothered'

They've grown up to be litter louts and don't see the problem

Agreed. It’s depressing to think this is the case but it makes sense, community has disappeared.

It’s probably the same parents who don’t make their kids wear seatbelts, or say thank you. The type of parents who swear at their kids and others. The type who put themselves first.

I suspect, like me, you live in a nice place and surround yourself with decent people, but there are loads of idiots out there.

The other day, I was at a class with my 5 year old when two toddlers came onto the class grounds. The teacher blocked their way and guided them out (so they didn’t get hurt) and the dad called her a cunt for doing that. In front of all of our kids and his own. He’s clearly a horrible person and I’m sure a prime candidate for littering and other selfish behaviours.

Some people just put themselves first and take no regard for others.

I was in the gym at a fancy hotel the other week and through the window I watched a mother and toddler standing outside eating some sweets and throwing the wrappers on the ground. Then the mother opened the door to her car, which was parked where it shouldn’t have been, and get out wedding outfits and go inside.

I saw two secondary school kids walking along the street talking, suddenly one shouted to the other “why did you throw that on the floor? Put it in the bin” and he did. So some kids are being taught to not litter by other kids. Amazing.

I live in a national park near a popular beauty spot. The amount of rubbish left behind after a sunny day is deeply depressing and I avoid it for that reason.

I can't understand the mindset of someone who chooses to go to a beautiful place (presumably because it looks beautiful) and then leaves all their rubbish behind.

I think it's got worse since Covid when we started to get more visitors who were new to visiting rural areas (not the traditional hill walkers) and who maybe don't know how to behave in the countryside.

As a family we often pick litter up if we've got a bag with us. My young adult children are even more rigorous about it than I am. DD21 has always been like that, as a small child she always insisted on picking up litter in the street and finding a bin and she still hates it.

It’s when you drive over into Europe and you see how much pride everyone takes in France, Netherlands, Denmark etc. Beautifully tidy, clean and well maintained. Also so depressing to come home again to the rubbish, the unloved feeling that no one gives a shit about their community.

I hate it. People leaving cans (not even empty!) under their seat in public transport, just dropping packets and wrappers as they go or tossing bags outside of cars. I mostly say something unless it’s a large group. Theres a mentality of it’s someone else’s job (often volunteers more than the council), it’s not hurting anyone or it is too far from a bin… infuriating. I honestly wonder about the state of their houses.

There are absolutely people who don’t give a shit and litter.

Another issue that contributes is the lack of bin emptying in some places. Public bins that are overflowing so you can’t add anything or things are falling out and blowing around. Not public obviously but we went to a theme park and the bin in the queue was so full the rubbish was literally everywhere.

Our street is also covered in recycling on windy collection days. The new receptacles they’ve provided don’t actually contain it properly.

I’d be wary of getting punched or yelled at if I told people to pick their litter up - I think it’s a very similar outlook to pavement cyclists or people who don’t use headphones. Either not understanding why something’s wrong or knowing it’s wrong & doing it anyway.

It really enrages me to see how much litter is around these days. I live near several beaches and the poor cleaning team are usually having to clean up mass litter of takeaway rubbish and more often than not, broken bottles that have been deliberately smashed.

I rarely agree with Jeremy Clarkson but on littering I can understand his anger. Personally, I'd machine gun the litter louts, they don't deserve to live with those of us who wouldn't litter and put wildlife and the enviroment at risk but unfortunately, I'm not allowed. 😡

It's crazy isn't it. Can't just be a few people either, must be quite a large percentage of the population given how much litter there is. I was brought up to put all rubbish into a bag and brought home to dispose of. Picnics were carefully packed up and no trace of our presence remained.

It makes me so angry and there is just no need for it. If you are out and there is no bin or the bin is full you take your rubbish home. If you are in a car and have rubbish, again, you take your rubbish home not throw it out the window.

Yesterday in a car park in my local town there was a bin that was full and people had left rubbish on the path around it. Why? To make matters worse there were 2 almost empty bins just across the path. Obviously the lazy slobs could not manage to walk to them.

My grown up children still hand me their rubbish!! 😅

It has to be a significant amount of people given how widespread the issue has become, roadsides are now terrible, fly tipping has become a regular sight too. Beauty spots, beaches, parks, school perimeters, car parks, it’s everywhere.

There are many litter picking FB groups with large numbers of volunteers in every town and city, it makes me shudder to think how things would look without them all dedicating their time and energy, same goes for the graffiti removers.

This time of year is always particularly bad because people spend much longer outdoors. I think one probable cause of indifference is how most councils allow pavements to get so grubby during long dry spells, spillages and sticky stains on the streets make the high footfall areas look dreadful, perhaps jet washing pavements more regularly would prompt people to use bins more? Broken window theory but with mucky pavements?

I think a large amount of litter is actually blown out of bins. I’ve noticed a fair amount on recycling bin day here for example, the bin men don’t pick it up when it drops out which I guess is their prerogative but there you go. Some is of course dropped but I don’t really see anyone doing this anymore, it was way more common when I was younger.