My plea to shout out about your litter picking and show others how many likeminded people care for our environment.
Since the Primary 6 lesson in the 80s when I was asked to draw a picture reflecting the impact litter could have on our environment I’ve been passionate about doing something about it. I drew an image of a mouse trapped in a bottle surrounded by daffodils and tulips. Little did I know that in years to come I’d sadly pick up bottles containing dead mice on clean ups.
We know that litter levels are at their worst in a decade. We know that littered streets and parks tend to encourage further littered sites. We know that clean sites can deter littering.
And, we know that thousands of people across Scotland are organising and taking part in litter picks of the places they care about as part of our Spring Clean. Many register their efforts with us or with other organisations supporting them.
So, it was with interest that I realised I had stopped recording and registering my efforts and findings with the charity I work for. I’ve stopped going to organised clean ups full of people horrified at the scale of the litter problem that they seem to be seeing for the first time. I realised that I might have litter-picking fatigue. For twenty years I’ve loved attending clean up events. I’ve been inspired by people who come out in all weathers to keep Scotland beautiful, and I have recorded every event and piece of litter. Why did I stop? Well I think litter picking just became part of my everyday life.
