Vocal Voices

A committee of MPs is calling for a portion of tax from tobacco sales to be used for clearing up cigarette butt litter.

Well, OK, since the rules on when and where smoking can take place came into effect there has been an increase in street smoking outside of offices and shops. But isn't that for employers and employees to sort out? And if there are known areas of concern why do councils not use existing litter laws to penalise the litterbugs?

For me a much more serious cause of concern is the litter from fast-food and takeaway outlets. This is a real health issue, and for a number of reasons. As the food rots the number of dangerous bacteria increases and it also attracts vermin such as mice, rats and urban foxes, as well as scavenger birds. There are areas in Leeds, as I suspect there are in many towns and cities, where the clean-up of the street has to start in the early hours in order to make the streets safe for normal daytime business. There does not appear to be any major call to penalise the litter louts or the food vendors, now why might that be? And do not get me started on carrier bags....

When #2 daughter was 6, standing at the bus stop, a smoker threw his empty cigarette packet on the ground even though there was a bin within reach of his arm. #2 daughter pounced on it and handed it back to him with an "excuse me, you dropped this".

He was embarrassed into having to put it in the bin.

Many smokers have always been like this, thinking the world is their litter bin for the discarded portions of their addiction....

This country reminds me of Bangladesh, the difference being that in Bangladesh women can be seen sweeping the streets throughout the whole day. It would be worthwhile and a good way of getting lazy louts off of benefits.

I think this litter-dropping business all comes down to poor parenting.

Surely it is parents' responsibility to bring their offspring up to behave
responsibly? Today, too much of this responsibility is expected to be
taken on by school teachers. When I was a child I was not allowed to
drop even anything as small as a wrapper off a sweet. Whatever one
learns as a child then becomes the norm throughout one's life.
Today I am disgusted at the amount of picnic litter deposited in public
parks on a fine summer's day.

My forecast is that this problem will get progressively worse because
(a) we do not enough policemen, and
(b) the punishment for all crimes today is not severe enough.

My upbringing was similar, Aggers, but wouldn't you think that people would have enough sense to work out for themselves that it was wrong? It does not take a string of good GCSEs to figure out that the bottle, can, polystyrene burger box, chicken bucket, fish and chip papers and fag packet do not belong on the pavement, road, parkland.......

And how do miles of hedgerows become littered with so many carrier bags from supermarkets and high street retailers?

Personally I don't think they should fine people for littering. They should stick them in an orange suit on Saturdays and Sundays and make them pick up litter all day until the message gets through that the country is not one large litter bin.

Some will never learn though, they don't care.

Suff wrote:Personally I don't think they should fine people for littering. They should stick them in an orange suit on Saturdays and Sundays and make them pick up litter all day until the message gets through that the country is not one large litter bin.

That's a darn good idea, Suff.

In my opinion, The punishments for all crimes are
not severe enough to act as a deterrent.
The "Do-gooders" have been listened to too much.

I agree with you both.

That has to be a first.

Yes, I'd also have no problem with Suff's suggestion. I've recently travelled a number of times by train through the Black Country here, and the amount of litter you see on the embankments is horrendous, especially near over-bridges. In fact there is so much rubbish that any clean-up attempt would be nigh on impossible.

Workingman wrote:I agree with you both.

That has to be a first.

For me too Brilliant idea, the litter problem in town here is appalling