Litter on the hills

[andypanda]

I was out on Ben Lui and Beinn a'Chleibh yesterday and the amount of litter was pretty shocking.

Numerous plastic water bottles; Morrisons meal deal bags left next to the path; wrappers and tissues ripped up and discarded all the way along the route.

I worry that this will become more prominent with more people taking an interest in the hills in the post lockdown future.

I was wondering if any of you had advice for litter picking in the current environment. I'd usually take some litter back with me but I'm not currently practicing this due to covid.

It really breaks my heart to see people trashing the hills.

[Sgurr]

A VERY public spirited friend (more than me) takes a black bag in her rucksack and also disposable gloves. I suppose that could be the way. I used to litter pick from the verges, but not at the moment. You might need many more than one pair if you are constantly taking them off as they need to be rolled up and discarded after contact with a bug. I suppose the odds on getting infected are very low after things have been outside for a while.

[KatTai]

Take dry handwash that will be effective against the virus and use it after picking up litter and at regular intervals if you are spending a lot of time picking up litter. It is recommended to use disposable gloves, though I just use a dog poop bag as it does the same job. You can get litter pickers from some councils but could be a pain carrying them up and down. Put litter in a separate, disposable carrier bag to your own stuff and bin the whole lot. And the usual once home wash hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds.

[andypanda]

Ta for the replies.

I was thinking of strapping a dry bag to the side of my rucksack with a bin bag liner. I'd agree that it's probably unlikely to transmit any viruses if it's been out for a while but I don't want to take that chance!

[iain_atkinson_1986]

Why's it always a Morrisons bag and never one of the other supermarkets?

[JohnSound]

I go and clear the Criffel car park every night. I just use dog poo bags because I don't have far to carry the litter seeing as there's two wheelie bins between the car park and the gate at the start/end of the walk. You can't miss them.

That's right, two wheelie bins right there and still folk leave litter wherever they want, unbelievable. This week's highlights have been KFC takeaway bags, fag packets, chewing gum wrappers and cans - both beer and energy drinks.

I'm looking forward to the pubs and town centres opening so the kind of people who are leaving this kind of stuff behind can keep themselves occupied elsewhere, leaving the hill to those who appreciate it.

[Sgurr]

Before the lockdown I'd sometimes go on a Ranger organised litter-pick along the beach. Huge dividends the first time with a rubber tyre and my personal best, a flip-flop, Second time he put us onto the same strip to pay special attention to the blue plastic string that comes off rope they use for fishing. Amazing how much was secreted in the seaweed, and of course the rangers don't want it in the sea.....but you don't get the same sort of outrage as from sandwich wrappers and water bottles (and Morrisons carrier bags.) and you realise that there are metres and metres of blue string in lengths of anything from 1" upwards.

I started to feel like the Walrus and The Carpenter..."If seven maids with seven mops swept it for half a year do you suppose, " the Walrus said, "that we could get it clear"?,


Dedication clearing Criffel Car park.

[Border Reiver]

It seems to be a "pack it in, leave it there" society. On a river bank walk locally last week, on a pristine green riverbank with wild flowers there were numerous empty cans and food wrappings, This was 3/4 mile from the nearest car parking and it must have taken lots of effort to carry it all there. A relative lives in a popular walking / biking area and a few weeks back, late at night, a few cars had driven into a gravel covered car park in the trees and lit a fire, burning food wrappers and also the picnic tables from the side of the car park. Next day they had gone before locals arrived and saw the mess of half burned tables, rubbish and abandoned tents. On another evening a local dog walked had told some who had lit a fire on a tarmac path among trees, "you shouldn't be here". She was greeted with abuse and threats.

[Kinshusrst Kid]

And we are part of a civilized nation ???

[CharlesT]

And we are part of a civilized nation ???

Civilisation is a very thin veneer and the behaviour of some during the lockdown merely serves to demonstrate just how thin it is.

[WalkWithWallace]

Litter is epidemic, really **** me off particularly when plastic pollution is a well highlighted problem. I do litter picks in my street and in a matter of days it's back to normal.

If you use hand sanitiser after picking up any litter on the hill you'll be okay. Maybe carry a bag you can put it in.

[Mal Grey]

The best thing about "lockdown" was feeling that people were finding a new appreciation of the great outdoors.

A few short weeks after things were relaxed here in England and I am in real despair about the way people are treating the landscape. I genuinely don't understand and it has been awful to find some of my special local spots covered in litter.

Much, but not all, that I have seen is younger generations, sadly (under 30ish but mostly under 25). Has education on such matters ceased? Why do people want to go somewhere lovely and then just trash it? There's also a sudden disrespect for people's property, climbing fences to access fields, having fires on private land, etc, damaging them in the process. What has happened to people? I thought the younger generation were supposed to be the ones to save the planet, environmentally aware.

I've often picked up litter when canoeing, and we organise clean-up days most years. I've managed to tidy up a bit of the recent litter, but the sheer volume makes it an impossible task. I don't know what the answer is. (I just clean my hands with gel after if its smaller bits, gloves if a bigger mess, and then properly when I get home)

Its ruining some of my enjoyment of the outdoors. Its also depressing me, but making me angry at the same time, and I'm not sure how I'll react if I actually see it happening in front of me. I am just hoping it is a temporary phase, a release after lockdown if you like, a boredom thing, and that the idiots go back to watching the telly and shopping once things return closer to "normality".

[denfinella]

Of course all littering is bad, but littering in natural beauty spots really confuses me. Besides the long-term impact on the environment, I just can't understand why someone who has visited somewhere because of the scenery would be willing to spoil the scenery.

[Border Reiver]

Of course all littering is bad, but littering in natural beauty spots really confuses me. Besides the long-term impact on the environment, I just can't understand why someone who has visited somewhere because of the scenery would be willing to spoil the scenery.

I think it's because they don't see it as a problem because it's likely that where they live is blighted by litter as well. We've seen gardens piled with rubbish as we looked for lockdown walks around the city. I remember, around 30 yrs ago, I was taking a break from driving in one of the picnic areas by Loch Lubnaig when a large car pulled in and a family of 2 adults and 2 teenage kids got our, sat on the grass and had a meal from cans and takeaway sandwiches etc. When they had finished, they gathered up most of the litter and, in front of myself and other people, threw it all into the loch and drove off, Unbelievable, it wasn't as though there was other litter, because the beauty spot was spotless when I arrived.

[al78]

Much, but not all, that I have seen is younger generations, sadly (under 30ish but mostly under 25). Has education on such matters ceased? Why do people want to go somewhere lovely and then just trash it? There's also a sudden disrespect for people's property, climbing fences to access fields, having fires on private land, etc, damaging them in the process. What has happened to people? I thought the younger generation were supposed to be the ones to save the planet, environmentally aware.

Don't commit the logical fallacy of judging an entire, and large, category of people based on a few bad examples. You would end up hating the entire global human population, including yourself, if you applied that sort of faulty thinking universally.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faulty_generalization

There are plenty of young people out there who are respectful of their environment, and who you haven't seen.