[Fleecewife]

I've been getting very het up about the amount of litter dumped around the countryside, as some may remember.
Apparently on Farming Today (which is broadcast when I'm still sleeping  ) this morning, the topic came up.  Arable farmers are apparently having crops rejected for too much litter in them.
There were some suggestions such as going back to the system of deposits on bottles, and extending them to cans.  Great idea.  When Mr F and I were students, the returned deposits on glass bottles could help us survive a couple more days - we collected them up until we were desperate.  It has to be a worthwhile deposit or in today's society people will just accept that their soda costs more, and toss the cans anyway.
Something which I don't think was mentioned this time, is the banning of polystyrene packaging for 'take away' meals.  It has been banned in the US for ten years, so why not here. If cardboard packaging were used then even if it was tossed out of white vans as they drove by, it would soon rot down.
On FT there was apparently no mention of the danger to farm animals, but it was a short piece.  I must go and listen on Iplayer.

[Rosemary]

  Me too. I hate litter spoiling our beautiful countryside.

[Marches Farmer]

Also ..... presumably the litter louts were eating or drnking whilst driving? 

[doganjo]

I take photos on my phone and email them to Environmental Health at the Council with place locations.  If enough people did this the  might stop wasting money on things like straightening roads that have been curved for tens of years without bothering anyone! 

[Anke]

Why does everyone demonise "White van drivers"?

Why are we a) all male and b) stupid and c) bad drivers and d) throw litter out of our vans?

I am a) female and b) have a couple of degrees and c) never had a single point on my licence and d) don't throw litter out of the van into the countryside.

But - I do drive a white van....

[SallyintNorth]

The phrase is shorthand for delivery van drivers, Anke, it's not literal 

It is of course also true that not all delivery van drivers are male nor stupid nor bad drivers nor litterers.

[Fleecewife]

OK, neds and selfish people also chuck stuff out of their windows, also school children waiting at the bus stop - the list could be endless were I to rant about every single person I've ever seen littering, and made exceptions for those who don't, but I was making a generalisation as shorthand, a common literary ploy.  My elder son also drives a white van, a big one, and he doesn't chuck stuff out of his window.  Let's not drown in political correctness.  I'm so sorry you are offended Anke, although it was inevitable someone would be and I'm so glad you don't chuck rubbish out of the window of your white van.  I'm sure your children don't drop litter at the bus stop either, and nor did mine.
The question under discussion is about littering and how to deal with it and prevent it blighting our countryside.

[Bex]

Countryfile last week had a piece about poor quality green waste that is absolutely full of rubbish.

You cant even trust the environmentally friendly option to be litter free. What will the archeologists in a thousand years think of our civilisation?!

[lord flynn]

Countryfile last week had a piece about poor quality green waste that is absolutely full of rubbish.

You cant even trust the environmentally friendly option to be litter free. What will the archeologists in a thousand years think of our civilisation?!

tbh we've learned as much, if not more, about older civilisations from their middens and rubbish than from their tombs and ruins but yes, the green waste thing was an eye opener. I despair about litter, people ware just ******s.

[sabrina]

I paid £25 for round bales of hay last year. Every bale had rubbish in it. Cola cans, crisp packets and worse. Took me ages to fill hay nets as I went through every bit. We often get cans and bottles in the paddock next to the roadside.

[Lesley Silvester]

While we were on holiday in Carmarthenshire, several times we went along a stretch of road with stunning views. There was actually a pull in so people could get off road to 'stand and stare'. I was driving towards it and thinking about stopping so I glanced across the valley at it. There was a 'waterfall' of rubbish where people had clearly used the parking area to dump their rubbish. Wales is such a lovely country. Why do people have to spoil it?

[Fleecewife]

People seem to go for a nice drive in the country for the express purpose of dumping stuff in laybys.  Do you think someone nicked their dustbin at home?  I do genuinely think it's getting worse.  When I was a teenager, Belgium was the litter capital of Europe, now it's us 

[devonlady]

Unless children are educated by their parents not to litter things will not change. We have a large and lovely park behind our bungalow, acres of grass, trees and a huge skate ramp, which gives me enormous pleasure (watching from my kitchen window, not using it ) There are two litter bins in front of the ramp but every morning someone has to come and litter pick.
I am going to put a notice in the garden for children to throw their empty drinks cans over my hedge, these will be taken to the local animal rescue when I have a couple of bin-bagfuls when they can be taken to the recycling centre to help raise funds for the animals.
Hopefully this will make the youngsters aware of both animal rescue and littering.

[Fleecewife]

Countryfile last week had a piece about poor quality green waste that is absolutely full of rubbish.

You cant even trust the environmentally friendly option to be litter free. What will the archeologists in a thousand years think of our civilisation?!

tbh we've learned as much, if not more, about older civilisations from their middens and rubbish than from their tombs and ruins but yes, the green waste thing was an eye opener. I despair about litter, people ware just ******s.

Yes, wonderful stuff to be found in ancient middens, but we have to search for it.  Now we're drowning in it.  Plastic never goes away, just gets smaller and smaller as it breaks up, so every beach in the world now has plastic on it, and just about every creature on every size scale has plastic in its body - presumably us too. No worries if you get stranded on a tiny island - you can live and dress and cook on what you pick up from the flotsam and jetsam lined up for you on the beach every tide.  Metal just rusts away, or eventually breaks down, but should be recycled.  At our current rate of disinterest about the environment, global climate change, over use of finite resources etc etc, there will be no people in the future to rummage around in our rubbish.


I know that has very little to do with litter in fields, but it's a fair point.  I too am surprised at the extent of the problem farmers are finding.