I see that the LGA are endorsing the use of “shock tactics” to show members of the public their impact on litter. They are suggesting that some councils might stop picking up litter for a defined period to show just how much we drop, and point out:
People in England drop 30 million tonnes of litter every year, that’s enough rubbish to fill 1,500 aircraft carriers.
It costs local authorities £663 million a year to clear up this rubbish.
Ingrid puts it like this:
There are lots of other things that council workers could be doing with their time other than picking up after me or anyone else. But it is astounding how many people casually litter.
Perhaps when you were a kid your parents may have said “I’m not your servant,” or “I’m going to stop picking up your mess and soon enough you’ll see what a sty we’d be living in.” Well, mine did anyway. Some councils are saying the same thing now. “We’re going to stop picking up after you for a while - and let’s see how the filth mounts up.”
She also pointed out this advert from Tennessee:
And while I see the point being made in the advert our experience is that littering and flytipping is very definitely not something that is restricted to one social class. The following graph is socio economic breakdown of those who don’t dispose of their chewing gum properly:
You may also find this research on Causes, Incentives and Solutions for Fly-Tipping of some help.
