[Kate!]

Litter louts could face £100 fines in an effort to clean up our filthy streets. Ministers are also considering forcing shops and businesses to keep the public space around their premises free from rubbish.

Also chewing gum may be taxed in a bid to clear the costs of removing it from pavements.

Ministers are expected to announce the Anti Litter strategy during the Conservative Party Conference next week.

-------------------

What do you think? Will it really make a difference? I don't think so. If people are disposed to drop litter including gum, they'll continue to do so.

[kirklancaster]

Phew - I thought this was to stop dogs breeding.

[JoshBB]

Taxing chewing gum.. yeah that's a great idea to stop littering .

All it'll do is mean that poor people that chew gum will be 20p or so worse off. Big woop

[lostalex]

i thought chewing gum is biodegradable?

[kirklancaster]

Indiscriminate disposal of 'chewed' gum is one of the most heinous crimes there is and offenders should be guillotined in public.

It litters pavements, is stuck to seats on public transport, taxis, pubs, clubs and restaurants, and I have even found a very expensive Reference book in a Public Library which had two pages stuck together with the damn stuff.

I use chewing gum, but either wrap used gum in the wrapper and drop it in the nearest bin, or swallow it.

Guillotine those who litter with it, and I shall have a ringside seat where I will do my knitting until the coup de grace.

[waterhog]

Originally Posted by Kate!

Litter louts could face £100 fines in an effort to clean up our filthy streets. Ministers are also considering forcing shops and businesses to keep the public space around their premises free from rubbish.

Also chewing gum may be taxed in a bid to clear the costs of removing it from pavements.

Ministers are expected to announce the Anti Litter strategy during the Conservative Party Conference next week.

-------------------

What do you think? Will it really make a difference? I don't think so. If people are disposed to drop litter including gum, they'll continue to do so.

I got strong views on this - but need a bit of fact ? can you give me a link to story and I will get to work ?

[joeysteele]

Well they need to get more litter bins in place and more to the point make sure they are emptied regularly too then.

A lot of litter I see on any streets has been blown out of a litter bin anyway.

These Ministers in this govt, hammered the last Labour govt for their interfering and petty new laws, these are even worse.

[Kazanne]

I think it's a good idea,I have a thing about litter louts,they are lazy and thoughtless.Do they realize the damage they can cause? no,as I said thoughtless, animals can die through our thoughtlessness and I've sat on chewing gum,it's disgusting.I notice Joey,you mentioned bins,we have several where I live and there is still litter on the floor just inches away,it's so annoying,why cant people just bend down and pick it up,I don't understand that I have taught my kids to bin their litter it's not hard,it also makes the place look untidy,people just don't care it seems.

[joeysteele]

Originally Posted by Kazanne

I think it's a good idea,I have a thing about litter louts,they are lazy and thoughtless.Do they realize the damage they can cause? no,as I said thoughtless, animals can die through our thoughtlessness and I've sat on chewing gum,it's disgusting.I notice Joey,you mentioned bins,we have several where I live and there is still litter on the floor just inches away,it's so annoying,why cant people just bend down and pick it up,I don't understand that I have taught my kids to bin their litter it's not hard,it also makes the place look untidy,people just don't care it seems.

Peopleshould pick up and dispose of their litter, however I said I see litter that has blown out of bins and I have also seen litter dropped from the bin when the council has come to empty the bin, driving off and not picking the papers/whatever up.

I think if anyone is seen dropping litter, by all means have some authority telling them to pick it up, fining them £100,I am not sure about that one.
Unless there are plenty of bins available and duly emptied too.

You are fortunate to have so many bins where you are, I had some litter in my hand the other day and in a city centre I walked over 15 minutes before I found a bin, and then had to squash the papers in it as it was so full.

It isn't the same everywhere.
So unless the conditions are right and things in place, then I don't agree with fines just for fining sake

[Ammi]

..I agree with Joey in that I'm uncertain about the fine, I'm really not with fines in general for many things and think it should 'fit' with the littering and those found littering would be better doing a litter picking community service time..our local town really doesn't have very many litter bins either ..so they need to be emptied much more than they are...

[Kazanne]

Originally Posted by joeysteele

Peopleshould pick up and dispose of their litter, however I said I see litter that has blown out of bins and I have also seen litter dropped from the bin when the council has come to empty the bin, driving off and not picking the papers/whatever up.

I think if anyone is seen dropping litter, by all means have some authority telling them to pick it up, fining them £100,I am not sure about that one.
Unless there are plenty of bins available and duly emptied too.

You are fortunate to have so many bins where you are, I had some litter in my hand the other day and in a city centre I walked over 15 minutes before I found a bin, and then had to squash the papers in it as it was so full.

It isn't the same everywhere.
So unless the conditions are right and things in place, then I don't agree with fines just for fining sake

I see what you mean Joey,and yes some of the council workers are as bad, If I find a bin full I just put my waste in my handbag,but I can see that would not be an option for you anyway,we are lucky we have several bins but some lazy sods still don't use them,much the same as they leave their dog ****e all over the paths, the fines aren't followed up anyway,so people need not worry.

[Suze]

I think this awful, greedy, government is looking to tax and fine anything and everything they can to get their greedy little paws on for more money, I doubt they give two hoots about the litter or chewing gum. It's pettiness and not the answer. They are the governemt for goodness sakes and that's all their petty little brains can come up with or discuss on their fat backsides. I don't know the answers but I sure as heck would be earning my money in their places to find better solutions than this c**p government can. What are they going to tax and fine next instead of finding solutiions to bigger problems needing addressing.

Rant over.

[joeysteele]

Originally Posted by Ammi

..I agree with Joey in that I'm uncertain about the fine, I'm really not with fines in general for many things and think it should 'fit' with the littering and those found littering would be better doing a litter picking community service time..our local town really doesn't have very many litter bins either ..so they need to be emptied much more than they are...

Spot on, I am shocked at the lack of bins in some places.

Those daft ones round lampposts are even more ridiculous, you can hardly get anything in there.

Also I tell you what I am seeing more and more, is since household bin collections have been reduced to fortnightly, that bags of rubbish are now being put in the public litter bins, thereby filling them up even more quickly.

[Ashley.]

What's the point in this campaign? The streets are already ruined. Plus, if they were spick and span then road workers would be out of a job.

[joeysteele]

Originally Posted by Suze

I think this awful, greedy, government is looking to tax and fine anything and everything they can to get their greedy little paws on for more money, I doubt they give two hoots about the litter or chewing gum. It's pettiness and not the answer. They are the governemt for goodness sakes and that's all their petty little brains can come up with or discuss on their fat backsides. I don't know the answers but I sure as heck would be earning my money in their places to find better solutions than this c**p government can. What are they going to tax and fine next instead of finding solutiions to bigger problems needing addressing.

Rant over.

Ooh, how I wish I had said all that.

Well said and it is what this govt said about the last one on fining this and that, now it is doing worse.

[Suze]

Originally Posted by Ammi

..I agree with Joey in that I'm uncertain about the fine, I'm really not with fines in general for many things and think it should 'fit' with the littering and those found littering would be better doing a litter picking community service time..our local town really doesn't have very many litter bins either ..so they need to be emptied much more than they are...

We have a lot less bins than we used to where I live, the Council have just removed so many???? so sometimes it is hard to find somewhere to empty litter into and I have ended up taking mine home to dispose of. The bins that can be found are usually placed in such stupid out of the way places, or with no bag in them the rubbish goes right though, a bit like some of the bus ticket holders, or as Joey said, some of the rubbish comes from the bins that have no lid of any kind on them. It's an uphill struggle for those who do bother like myself to be litter conscious, but it's local councils who make such problem worse imo. Fly tipping is much worse anyway and getting to be a bigger problem imo.

[Ammi]

Originally Posted by Suze

I think this awful, greedy, government is looking to tax and fine anything and everything they can to get their greedy little paws on for more money, I doubt they give two hoots about the litter or chewing gum. It's pettiness and not the answer. They are the governemt for goodness sakes and that's all their petty little brains can come up with or discuss on their fat backsides. I don't know the answers but I sure as heck would be earning my money in their places to find better solutions than this c**p government can. What are they going to tax and fine next instead of finding solutiions to bigger problems needing addressing.

Rant over.

...don't hold back there Suze.....but yeah, a fine is just another form of taxing and often used as an 'easy fix' rather than addressing the issue...

[King Gizzard]

It's just really sad you have to force things like this instead of people just being respectful to the earth they live on/other people

[JoshBB]

Originally Posted by Nathan

It's just really sad you have to force things like this instead of people just being respectful to the earth they live on/other people

Yeah ikr. In my local town centre, we have bins literally everywhere yet people just throw their litter on the floor. Doesn't help that the only local police station (which was actually in that centre too) has been turned into something else.

[Kate!]

Originally Posted by waterhog

I got strong views on this - but need a bit of fact ? can you give me a link to story and I will get to work ?

I read it in the Daily Mail Waterhog and just typed it up for here.

[Kazanne]

So it seems most people are saying leave things alone to the government and let us do what we want? This is why there is rubbish and dog ****e everywhere as people just do as they want,when was the last time you knew anyone fined for leaving their dog poop on the floor? it's just a frightener in the hope people will listen,but they wont,they are far above that , so lets live in a litter infested ****ty place, we cant have people punished for polluting the place.

[smudgie]

Originally Posted by Kazanne

So it seems most people are saying leave things alone to the government and let us do what we want? This is why there is rubbish and dog ****e everywhere as people just do as they want,when was the last time you knew anyone fined for leaving their dog poop on the floor? it's just a frightener in the hope people will listen,but they wont,they are far above that , so lets live in a litter infested ****ty place, we cant have people punished for polluting the place.

If dropping litter is against the law then a fine..or the option to do some litter picking sounds fair enough to me.
As to if there are enough bins or not, well, your litter, your responsibility, take the rubbish home and bin it, how ruddy hard can that be.
My biggest gripe is the people that go to the beach of the countryside for a picnic, then leave their rubbish behind.

[Kazanne]

Originally Posted by smudgie

If dropping litter is against the law then a fine..or the option to do some litter picking sounds fair enough to me.
As to if there are enough bins or not, well, your litter, your responsibility, take the rubbish home and bin it, how ruddy hard can that be.
My biggest gripe is the people that go to the beach of the countryside for a picnic, then leave their rubbish behind.

[DemolitionRed]

I think we are a lot better than France at picking up dog ****. The streets over there are like a bloody obstacle course and the crazy thing is, they have more poo bins and have little bag dispensers on the lids too, which is more than we have. In their defence though, its still pretty normal to let their dogs take themselves for a walk!

We do need to teach our children that its not okay to drop rubbish. Like Kazanne, I raised my children to understand that dropping rubbish wasn't acceptable and if there was no bin to be found, to just put it in their pocket till they got home. Perhaps schools need to reinforce this and encourage children to have a conscience about where they discard their rubbish?

Yes for more bins and definitely yes for shop keepers keeping the outside of their shop clean. They do that right across Europe so why not here too.

[Ammi]

Originally Posted by Kazanne

So it seems most people are saying leave things alone to the government and let us do what we want? This is why there is rubbish and dog ****e everywhere as people just do as they want,when was the last time you knew anyone fined for leaving their dog poop on the floor? it's just a frightener in the hope people will listen,but they wont,they are far above that , so lets live in a litter infested ****ty place, we cant have people punished for polluting the place.

...it's not that though Kaz, that anyone is saying to do nothing and littering is something most people think is awful but I just don't think that fines are always the thing...with speeding offences for instance, it's not always just a fine that is instilled automatically..there is a driver's course as well offered to some people now as an alternative...and with littering, some wouldn't be able to pay the fine...so would that then be offered to pay in instalments on an already stretched budget...if someone deliberately litters then a litter picking term would also be a good consequence I think...