This isn’t the first time, either. I’ve previously had the dubious pleasure of picking up broken glass, a child’s broken scooter, magazines and cigarette packets. And as if this isn’t bad enough, the aforementioned bottles, cans and boxes were, in the majority of cases, no more than 50 yards from a bin. 50 bloody yards. I genuinely don’t understand these people. I can only assume they have brains the size of a Ferrero Rocher (wrapping discarded, obviously).
These culprits had evidently decided that the countryside would be a great place to have a spot of lunch. And why not? Lush green grass, leaves beginning to blossom on the trees and ducks on the river. Beautiful. But after eating their lunch, they decided to simply throw the rubbish on the floor and wander off… someone else’s problem
I guess.
To make matters worse, as I walked on a little further I came across an elderly gentleman holding on to a fence post attempting to bend over to pick up another disregarded plastic bottle. We had a mutual moan about the laziness of some folk, and thanked each other for at least trying to make a small difference.
These anti-bin bandits are spoiling things for the rest of us. But their behaviour is not only causing moderate discontent among the good people of our fine county – it’s also prompting them to take action. Earlier this month thousands of local residents gave up their free time to take part in a series of litter picking events as part of the Great British Spring Clean. In Wiltshire alone they accumulated a whopping 14 tonnes of rubbish – second only to London in the UK league table. It was a fantastic effort, but isn’t it a sad reflection of how little respect some people have for where they live?
I guess the purpose of this little rant is twofold: one is to get the evident frustration off my chest, and two to encourage all you normal, right-minded folk to continue doing your bit. I know it’s not pleasant but if it’s safe to do so, pick up the litter and bin it. I’m sure there are more of us than them so let’s do our best to win this one.
Moan over. Well, almost.
I began by saying I was out walking with my dog. Sadly some of my fellow dog walkers aren’t perfect either. So to my canine-loving brethren I say this: if Paddy or Chester ever need to answer a call of nature while you’re out and about, pick it up, bag it and dispose of it responsibly. Please don’t leave it on a fence or a tree – you’re better than that.
I’ll try and be a little less grumpy next time – and I promise not to talk so much rubbish.
