We are told day after day by politicians and the media that one of our top priorities is saving the planet. We are bombarded with television programmes and our children are given lessons in school about the environment and endangered species. We are exhorted by all and sundry to recycle or we will all disappear under a mountain of garbage.
Yet what do we see all around us, on our redways, our streets, even in our parks and open spaces? Discarded beer and fizzy drinks bottles, fast food packaging, empty and half empty cans of beer and cider, cartons, crisp packets, cigarette packets and much worse! These are often most noticeable on the routes from the local shops to the nearby schools. Why, if we and our children are so concerned about the environment, do we desecrate it day after day when it would be so easy to put our litter in the nearest litter bin, of which there are many around the Parish? Why are the schools not driving home the message to pupils that dropping litter is anti-social?
My wife and I walk most days from our home in Kingsmead, along the redway to Westcroft to pick up a newspaper, a distance of about three quarters of a mile. For some time now it has been our practice to take a couple of plastic bags with us and collect the litter we find along the way. Day after day we collect at least two bags full. Lately we have found it necessary to take three or four bags and they still get filled. The picture above shows what we collected on one such trip on Friday February 2nd and it is fairly typical. Believe it or not some of this litter was actually collected from immediately outside people's front doors. Do we have no pride in the appearance of our neighbourhoods any more? One person I know rebuked her daughter for dropping litter. The reply was that if she took it home she would be doing someone out of a job! If everyone took an empty supermarket bag and picked up the rubbish that they can see then the footpaths will be much more pleasant to walk along. Since we moved to Milton Keynes six years ago we have noticed sadly that the litter has increased in volume. We have a daughter in America and when we visit her we are always amazed by the lack of rubbish on the streets and verges. Admittedly she doesn't live in a big city but the contrast between there and here is salutary. We are too fond of saying "Someone should do something about it" but we are that "someone" and it is up to all of us to keep the parish clean and tidy.
Our Parish Warden is doing a great job. When notified of the numerous bundles of local newspapers tossed into the ditches, he removes them as soon as possible. He also arranges to have graffiti cleaned up but he can't be expected to pick up every can, bottle or empty crisp packet. That is for us to do and to encourage our children to bring their 'empties' home, or put them in the nearest litter bin.
Grumpy Old Man
