Roadside litter

[Lazy-Commuter]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8141597.stm

Drivers who drop litter from their cars should be penalised with a point on their licence, say campaigners.
Keep Britain Tidy says its research has shown it is a better deterrent than fines, which are already handed out.
It argues that as it is difficult to identify who has actually thrown the litter, all the blame should fall on the car owner.
The group says culprits should still face fines and even those who discard apple cores ought to be punished.
Phil Barton, the organisation's chief executive, said it should be easier to prosecute offenders who use the streets and roads as a "giant dumping ground".
"The owner should be responsible for the actions of those inside the car," he said.
"We therefore want the law to go further and see a penalty point put on the licence of those that litter from vehicles."

.. that's a good idea, especially when you think how dangerous something like this below could be ..

Pick it up and throw it back into the car.

I had a lit cigarette thrown from a truck on Tuesday, which missed my head by inches.

.. but even with just the fines (rarely?) handed out at the moment, there's still the occasional story in the Sun et al about, "man fined just for dropping an apple core - it's PC elfnsafety gorn mad, tax on the motorist" and so on. Think we need an attitude change in some parts of society ..

 

[2wheelsgood]

And hats off to the good burghers of Bundanoon, Australia, who have voted to ban plastic water bottles from their town...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8141569.stm

It's a start....

 

[I am Spartacus]

Lets be honest.. the amount of litter shows up what a shoot hole of a country we live in.. what exactly are you going to do about it...? armed squads executing people on sight?
I like that idea....
My PhD thesis was on the subject of litter 'pollution' in Nazi Germany.. it was very short.. it wasnt a problem and neither was litter

 

[2wheelsgood]

I do think that litter is much more than just an aesthetic irritant - I think it can be an indicator of the health of a society. At least, its presence in large amounts can be an indicator of problems. Its absence does not necessarily mean everything is ticketyboo, (see Spart's PhD thesis on litter 'pollution' in Nazi Germany)

 

[Banjo]

A friends teenage daughter was recently caught dropping litter and had the option of paying £50 or attending a one day course teaching the reason littering is wrong. She wanted to pay the fine,her mother(wisely I think) insisted she do the course.

I think you should have to do both.To someone with a high flying job £50 is loose change but having to attend a course will be a detterent.To someone on the dole the course wont be a problem but the fine will act as detterent.

 

[I am Spartacus]

aha! brainwave.. we need councils to positively discriminate for people with OCD.. job done!

 

[Arch]

... but even with just the fines (rarely?) handed out at the moment, there's still the occasional story in the Sun et al about, "man fined just for dropping an apple core - it's PC elfnsafety gorn mad, tax on the motorist" and so on. Think we need an attitude change in some parts of society ..

Or a coup. When I am emperor....

 

[jig-sore]

I don't eat bananas, back onto the cycle litter chat, but if I did, I would not throw them at the side, nor orange peelings

just to clarify, i only throw the peelings when out of town and NOT into the side of the road. i make sure they go over the hedge or into the ditch.

a small difference but worth mentioning

 

[Fnaar]

Peelings... I shove them in a nook or cranny (not a crook or nanny) where they can decompose to their heart's content (in the countryside). In town, they come home with me and go in the compost bin.
I hate litterbugs... we live on a river... the amount of people who can spend an afternoon fishing, then leave a pile of cans, bottles, take-away wrappers etc behind is shocking. Have to say though, it's never the nice middle-class types who do this...

 

[2wheelsgood]

It's a constant surprise to discover who the litterers are. You'd think anglers, who must have some sort of interest in the environment, would know better.

 

[dodgy]

Matthew Parris seems to think it's cyclists that are responsible for the majority of roadside litter.

 

[jig-sore]

just seem some rather strange litter... obviously a car had gone of the road and into the ditch and since been removed but most of the front bumper, a wheel trim, some other smashed parts and the good old "police aware" tape were still there !!!!!!

how long are these items gonna stay there ??? can we get the police done for littering with the tape ??? will the car owner get done for littering or the recovery driver ???

 

[Arch]

It's a constant surprise to discover who the litterers are. You'd think anglers, who must have some sort of interest in the environment, would know better.

Depend on the type of angler I suppose. Someone who fishes for wild fish in a delicate environment, maybe, someone fishing in a stocked artificial lake is possibly no more environmentally aware then any one else.

Like those people who swish by you with a inch to spare, and two bikes on a a rack on the back of the car, off to have a day out on bikes without actually being cyclists...

 

[xpc316e]

I am constantly amazed by the amount of litter left on school playgrounds and sports fields. In the summer months a lot of children eat their packed lunches outside and just leave all the crisp packets and plastic bottles. Knowing children, that I can understand but I never seem to see children doing litter picks as a punishment. Why on earth don't headteachers use the child labour at their disposal to clean up?

 

[2wheelsgood]

It would be an infringement of their human rights innit.