In the 1980's there was a very enthusiastic campaign in the United Kingdom that went by the name " Keep Britain Tidy". There were television and radio advertisements, leaflets, pamphlets and posters plastered up and down the nation and great big official looking road signs that commanded in bold letters, " KEEP BRITAIN TIDY!" Almost always these signs were accompanied by a waste bin, or trash can if you like, that had more litter around it than in it.
Nearly thirty years on and we are drowning in more litter and waste than I can ever remember. The signs, posters and pamphlets have gone and have been replaced with obscure and rare notices that threaten on the spot fines for anyone caught dropping litter.
There have been a smattering of fines issued across the country, but really, how on earth do you police such a thing? Police and security forces are already undermanned and overworked, so sending troops of some description out onto every street corner and sidewalk clearly will never happen.
What the country would benefit from are a few million clones of a geography teacher I remember from school. If he saw you dropping litter on the school grounds, he would attract your attention with a hypnotic blend of finger pointing and beckoning and hand you the nearest dust bin and inform you that you now had to pick up every piece of litter on the premises!
Alas, we still don't have the technology to clone Mr Geography and even he would struggle to cope with the current workload. So, what can be done? I guess all that's left is education and lots of it is needed to turn this littering problem around.
You see the kids in town and village centres discarding candy wrappers and crisp packets on the floor in full view of their parents, (and the rest of the world) often just a few steps from a litter bin. You wait for a parent to react and tell their child to responsibly pick up the trash they dropped but the parents say nothing and the streets get untidier and dirtier.
Even the guys with their big yellow carts who used to be seen slowly trawling the streets, cleaning up our mess, seem to have run for the hills. No doubt frothing at the mouth and having nightmares thinking of the junk they had to pick up.
When I was a kid I was taught by my parents that if I had a piece of litter to discard when we were out, that I had to either put it in my pocket until we got home or put it in the first waste disposal container we could find. Of course in those days, we obeyed and generally respected our parents and our parents cared about our behaviour.
Is the real problem one of litter? Or is it simply down to a society that is rotting and festering in a great big pot of garbage? Perhaps we are so deep inside that pot that we can no longer see the light of day or the worth in trying to climb out from where we seem to be floundering.
I have travelled to several European countries and to the North American continent and did not notice the same problems there, with streets usually well looked after and pristine, at least on the surface. Does that mean this is a British problem only?
Regardless, "Keep Britain Tidy" didn't work and still isn't working. I wonder if reverse psychology would work? If we actually encouraged the youth of today to trash the place would they rebel and keep everything spotlessly clean and tidy? Now there's food for thought.
Currently studying freelance journalism, Julian is a creative writer and poet and writes both professionally and for pleasure. Professionally, Julian writes articles for an internet marketing company and although he is often restricted by topic, his writing still maintains his own unique style. He has written a series of heartfelt and impartial articles about the success and controversy surrounding the electronic cigarette. He has found the discipline involved with this work to be a great writing exercise and believes it enhances and improves the rest of his writing. Julian's articles at Searchwarp are of a much more personal nature, where he feels he can express his views and interests in the world around him.
What a great idea. It would be something if reverse psychology could work! When you visited North America, it must have been Canada -- unless you were in some remote area of the US, I can't imagine you didn't see trash here as well.
Hi Nancy, thanks for reading! I have been to both the US and Canada but my time in the States was only fleeting compared to a lengthy stay north of the border, so perhaps i missed something! It's a real problem though huh? Trash i mean! Thanks again for reading. Julian
When I was a teenager i picked up the habit of always getting rid of my trash. Even while drinking and driving I would tell my friends, "don't throw your beer cans out the window" I had a deep respect for mother nature.
Hi David, thanks for the comment. I can see the lengths you went to not to dispatch your litter around the countryside, problem is many people do not have the same respect for their environment so how do we convince them not to drop litter? Thanks again, Julian
Good article. My loathing of littering/ dropping trash came from seeing the damage that discarded cans and plastics do to wildlife. Creatures that get stuck and die in plastic bags and tin cans etc. Totally avoidable suffering. When I was a kid people used to say to us that we shouldn't drop litter because we wouldn't do it in our own homes! But given the attitude of youngsters these days, they probably do!! We need more "Wombles" in the world! For those who don't know what or who a womble is google "wombles tv series"- You'll find something about it being "Based on the books by Elizabeth Beresford, this animated series follows
a group of creatures living in Wimbledon Common who spend their time
picking up litter left by humans".!! :-) Still love them!!!
Hi Jo, Yes the wombles really were great! Bring them back, i reckon! Thanks for your comment and your fresh environmental angle on the problem of litter. We are not just making the place "look untidy" but we are actually damaging the world and wildlife around us. Great comment! Julian
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