Fast food litter

[Harry Bloomfield]

One cause of litter is old litter bins that are too small for todays rubbish they were not designed to take ten inch pizza boxes even if folded in half, they fill up too quickly if someone jams a box into the bin and then lazy people carry on ramming more polystyrene trays on top these blow out and end up all over the place.

So, they should take their litter home - there is no excuse at all for just dumping it where they finish with it. I regularly tackle people who just dump their rubbish like this, if more did it there would be less of it. Other countries do cope, why can't the UK?

The UK used to be reasonably litter free, but it has become worse with every passing year.

 

[Cwrw666]

One cause of litter is old litter bins that are too small for todays rubbish they were not designed to take ten inch pizza boxes even if folded in half, they fill up too quickly if someone jams a box into the bin and then lazy people carry on ramming more polystyrene trays on top these blow out and end up all over the place.

Many councils have removed litter bins from beauty spots and laybyes for this very reason. If there's a bin there people will dump their rubbish even when it's full. Remove the bin and most people take their rubbish home.

 

[foxy]

I don't know if you have a reporting system in the UK but here in Australia we can take the number plate details, colour and make of car, time and vicinity of the offence, and a brief description of the offender. EPA will take them to court, if the car is stationary and someone throws litter or a *** end out of their car I will give them a warning to either pick up the litter or I will be reporting them.
Shopping trolleys is another one which I can't abide, to lazy to take them to the trolley bay, some are only a few metres from the bay.

 

[MickDundee]

Electrical retailers have to "provide a way for your customers to dispose of their old household electrical and electronic equipment when you sell them a new version of the same item." Electrical waste: retailer and distributor responsibilities
So there is a precedent for making retailers responsible for the consequence of their sales.

That’s not a precedent though. The electrics retailers have to provide something because it’s generally much more difficult to dispose of appliances than it is to get rid of an electrical appliance. To dispose of appliances generally requires either a trip to the local recycling centre (which requires use of a vehicle large enough to house the appliance) or to pay the council for a “special uplift”. Fast food rubbish on the other hand can be easily disposed of in a household bin.

Besides, fast food outlets do provide a way for your customers to dispose of their fast food waste - every restaurant has a bin on the premises!

The problem is that people expect someone else to do something for them. The fast food companies should be paying to counter fly tipping in this case. There have been multiple posts on our housing development’s Facebook group blaming the amount of dog **** around the estate on the fact the council haven’t provided dog waste bins and “it’s disgusting to put your dog waste in your household bin”.Cat owners are forced to put cat litter etc in their general waste bin (the alternative is to wait until the weekend and take it to the recycling centre but I’d rather have it in my bin all week than in my garage then my car) so why should dog owners be any different?

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

The problem is that people expect someone else to do something for them.

That I think is the crux of the matter. Its the way people are brought up today, all problems are the responsibility of someone else to deal with.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I don't know if you have a reporting system in the UK but here in Australia we can take the number plate details, colour and make of car, time and vicinity of the offence, and a brief description of the offender.

There is a system, but I think its a rather disjointed system. You need to know where you are and which local council is responsible, before making a report. Chances of minor reports being followed up, almost nil and lots of passing of the buck.

 

[johncrobinson]

One just one McDs, can see fast food junk wrappings distributed about for a radius of 15 miles all around.(the actual distance is determined by eating times.) Mc Ds distinctive packaging removes all doubt to the origin.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

So, they should take their litter home - there is no excuse at all for just dumping it where they finish with it.

The UK used to be reasonably litter free, but it has become worse with every passing year.

I totally agree on both your points its the same with dog s**t bags if the bin is full taker the minging bag home with you don't leave it next to the bin or worse hanging from a tree like a Christmas tree bauble expecting someone else to sort it out.

 

[Richie_asg1]

One of the problems we have here is that people do use the litter bins, but the seagulls take it all out again and throw it around. This has led to the council replacing bins with seagull-proof versions that have a handle to open.

I think that if all food vendors would use biodegradable packaging then the problem will not persist. McDonalds is actually not that bad in this respect as they shifted away from polystyrene to cardboard for all their boxes, and now are reducing plastic straw use.
My local chip shop now use cardboard boxes, so people are making a change.

 

[Coomzy]

When the floor is full, please use the bin!

It's a nice idea but unfortunately the problem is society and there us no quick fix.

It's no different to dog owners hanging their animal turds in black bags on a tree 200m from a bin. Sheer laziness. Even massive fines seem no deterrent, not that I've ever heard of anyone getting fined for it.

 

[foxy]

There is a system, but I think its a rather disjointed system. You need to know where you are and which local council is responsible, before making a report. Chances of minor reports being followed up, almost nil and lots of passing of the buck.

EPA nails them here, I have volunteered to testify in court if need be, and also administer the appropriate strokes of the birch when they can't afford the fine.

 

[Rogermort]

Putting vehicle reg numbers on drive through packaging might just cause people to think rather than be unthinking and dump stuff out of the vehicle window.

 

[honeymonster]

Putting vehicle reg numbers on drive through packaging might just cause people to think rather than be unthinking and dump stuff out of the vehicle window.

I can see what you mean but that's almost like saying they're dropping it out the window by accident.

 

[Rogermort]

I can see what you mean but that's almost like saying they're dropping it out the window by accident.

I don't believe that for a second. But if they think 'why are they putting my reg number on there'? It gives food for thought. If it only stops 10 per ent of people doing it it's worth doing. And for the other 90 per cent, come the revolution...

 

[Richie_asg1]

Possibly the easiest solution for any council to operate is the use of covert CCTV - actually film a car throwing stuff out the window with registration visible. Trail cameras are ideal for this.
These can be moved around the country to tackle the worst areas. ...And the punishment - the offenders forced to pick up rubbish every weekend for a month. If there is no rubbish - you go home early. If there is still rubbish in that area you have to carry on for another month.
The result will be people don't litter because of the increased risk of getting caught. When they are forced to litter pick and other people are littering extending their punishment they will cry 'unfair' - and then be determined to find out who these people are. Then they can be the ones running the CCTV to prove it isn't them. So the problem eventually goes away.

 

[johncrobinson]

Well Richie just such a thing happened in Consett recently.The offending young female was caught on cctv she was fined and the images put in the public domain.
never mind the fine the public shaming would have really hurt.
Good i say.
Fast food litter is becoming a scourge in all our communities and is a health hazard as well as an eyesore.
These burger/kebab outlets should pay extra rates to cover the clean up costs.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

These burger/kebab outlets should pay extra rates to cover the clean up costs.

As should (if they don't already) the chewing gum manufacturers for the cleaning of gum of the pavements.

 

[Richie_asg1]

I had an idea to design the gum so that it will degrade in ultra violet light i.e. sunlight. It should end up pushing the cost onto the users rather than those that have to clean it up. Difficult to force changes in recipe onto manufacturers though.

 

[johncrobinson]

Gum on pavements.
Thats a whole other new issue.
When i was young all my friends had "some" respect for the environment we were not angels by any means but the idea of dumping a load of crap in the nearest back ally would have been seen as anti-social and source of disgrace.

 

[johncrobinson]

When i moved into my current property i remember getting letters from the local council saying skips were available from £5. per day.
A couple of years later it was £300.00 just to have a license for a skip (the cost of the skip was on-top).

Reap what you sow.