The word 'Scum' is not one I use willy-nilly. However, in this case it is perfectly warranted.
I cannot understand why young people should go into our lovely churchyard (or anywhere else) on a sunny lunchtime, to eat their McSandwich and drink their McBlotto, then simply leave all their detritus around where they were sitting.
When I was small there were two things that were totally forbidden; dropping litter, and eating in the street. Both of these now seem obligatory to the Gen Z'ers. I would no more have left an empty bottle on the ground, than I would have punched a Policeman. It was something we simply DID NOT DO!
So WHY? Why do they do it? Did no-one mention to them that it is anti-social? Did their parents, sadly, lead by example? What goes through their effing minds? Why-o-why do young people leave so much bloody rubbish behind them, everywhere they go?
We have Parking wardens who issue tickets to illegal parkers, so why don't we have Litter wardens to fine these scumbags. They would need a camera with a good telephoto lens (proof), a tazer, a pair of handcuffs and the power to issue an instant £500 fine (or be sent to a compound until they pay-up). The service would pay for itself and probably even make a profit. We really do need to be tough with these scumbags.
It makes me so angry!
Alas, it is not just Gen Z - many years ago on my first trip abroad to Brussels I was struck by how clean it was compared to to the UK. As a country we just don't seem to "get" keeping ones public spaces free from rubbish. Now, it's junk food detritus, then it was the fallout from smokers - filter tips, fag packets etc.
ReplyDeleteOther things I regularly find are those Vapour 'cigs', and empty lighters. There are dustbins everywhere, but they simply refuse to use them.
DeleteTelephoto lenses are expensive as , I assume, are Tasers. I'd make do with a big heavy stick.
ReplyDeleteThey could keep one of those in their back pockets as well.
DeleteMny years ago when we lived in Worthing, P saw a young woman sitting in the driver's seat of a parked car throw her empty fish and chips wrapper out of the open car window. He walked across, picked it up and threw it back in onto her lap. She was not amused judging from the foul language that ensued.
ReplyDeleteI've seen similar things myself. Some people seem to think it's their right to throw their rubbish from a car. Bizarre.
DeleteLike JayCee I have seen rubbish lobbed out of a car (open topped sportscar) lobbed back in by an infuriated cyclist. In this case it was a half full milkshake cup. I was impressed by the quick thinking, and the milkshake wearing driver seemed too stunned to say anything. As a society we have created so much more stuff that is purely and simply waste than existed when we were young. If say 30% of society are uncaring wastrels (and always have been) then the amount of trash is exponentially higher these days without societal percentages having changed at all.
ReplyDeleteOne of the consequences of no longer being offered plastic bags whilst shopping, is that I no longer have any to collect other people's rubbish. I always used to keep a bag in my back pocket, and reluctantly became a part-time refuse man.
DeletePresumably you always carry pooh bags to pick up after Billy, put a bin bag in there as well.
DeleteOf course. Our bin bags are a bit big.
DeleteMany dog walkers i have encountered in my new latest iteration seem to be part time refuse collectors.
DeleteThere's no need to be so bashful Crozier! Why don't you say what you really feel about litter louts instead of tiptoeing round the issue?
ReplyDeleteThey might take offence if I wrote what I really thought.
DeleteOr maybe the judge could order them to spend a few Saturday afternoons, cleaning up litter.
ReplyDeleteAnd then a week in The Stocks!
DeleteWe have picked up and given rubbish back to people too. Most look a bit shameful. Road sides here are full of plastic bottles and paper coffee cups.
ReplyDeleteMy parents told us over and over 'take your rubbish home'. My girls know the rules but most here couldn't care less.
It's a horrible sight, especially in the summer when everything dries up and rubbish is so obvious
It's a real blight on the landscape. Somehow it seems even worse in the churchyard, where it shows a total lack of respect.
DeleteI agree with you. It is total disrespect to leave trash on the ground anywhere. In the US there is a $500 fine for throwing trash on to the highway. Our parks have large barrels for trash and people use them. For this I am grateful.
ReplyDeleteWe have plenty of bins around. The problem is that they simply couldn't care less.
DeleteThank you. Hugs.
ReplyDeletexxx
DeleteMe and my mum went down our lane picking up litter the other day. We only went about half a mile and we got half a bag of rubbish. It's mostly tradesmen and residents who use the lane as it's a no through road. We suspect that a lot of it comes from these delivery drivers.
ReplyDeleteOver in France our 'authorities' decided that we should pay for the rubbish service, then pay every time we used a dustbin (we were issued with a card to open them). Of course the obvious happened and people started to dump their rubbish anywhere.
DeleteIt's the same here. There are huge refuse bins for different items located every so often, but apart from the locals no-one else seems to use them and rubbish is just left around them. Dog walkers passing through, don't even bother to pick up. What really used to annoy me was when my German neighbour, who always parks her car outside my house, used to empty her ash tray outside my gate! She got very annoyed when I asked her not to do it, siting the fact that it was a public road! When my husband asked her how she'd like it if we left our dog's used poo bags outside her gate, she finally got the message. At the time we had three large dogs!
ReplyDelete