Litter. Rubbish. It has knock-ons for everyone.
In Caversham or Emmer Green (or, indeed, pretty well anywhere else), if you’re driving, cycling or walking, you’ll see litter – other folks’ rubbish. What do you do?
(I’m not talking about organized fly-tipping which is a different beast altogether.)
The easiest option is to ignore it. Iif you think anything at all about it, you might well reckon it’s someone else’s problem. Maybe you think ‘someone from the council’ will pick it up, or something along those lines. The trouble, even in the best of times litter is a persistent problem that doesn’t just go away. And these days, with money tight for all tiers of government, there is even less of a chance of rubbish being cleared up by someone else.
And so … what?
Well, if rubbish isn’t cleared up, it will attract more rubbish. That’s just the way people are. If somewhere looks neglected – i.e. litter-strewn – then people are less fussed about creating more litter. And off you go on a downward spiral.
(I think I first read about this being the case in connection with Dutch research on the subject. From personal experience, I think you can test this observation about human behaviour to your own house – the messier it is, the messier you’re inclined to leave it. But perhaps that’s just me!)
If all of that’s a touch depressing, the upside is that it’s a problem you can do something about, relatively easily. I’ve put a couple of links to local groups helping tackle litter below (Caversham Globe and Keep Caversham Tidy), and there may well be others I’m not aware of. Whoever you decide to get together with, your contribution will improve your own quality of life and that of those around you. And you’ll be helping your local environment and nature – and the future. These, by any measure, are high-value gains in return for a little bit of your time. And if that’s sounds all a bit like a big deal, that’s because it is.
Now, I am NOT advocating it, but of course you can also pick up litter yourself and, indeed, it’s something I personally do. (Basically, I pick up rubbish around my area when it gets on my nerves.) However, you do need to be careful. I wear tough gloves, use a litter-picking tool, only pick-up stuff from public areas and never tackle anything sharp or otherwise risky looking. In short, if you’re doing it yourself do so with caution and be sensible … Or work with an organization.
Finally, I used to know a barrister who, when talking about litter, said he never quite understood why people ‘crap in their own nests’. And sometimes it can feel very disheartening to be picking up others’ mess. But in reality a lot of litter is genuinely accidental – blown out of bins or whatever. Only a small amount is deliberately, consciously created, by a very small minority of the population. And as my lawyer-friend also said, yes, what some people do is depressing – but it’s even more of a downer if you let the morons win.
None of the above is to be confused with the things the council will still deal with. Not least, the council’s own rubbish bins which are, it seems, often full to overflowing. Given that the council can’t know about them being a problem without someone telling them, Fix My Street is a free and easy way to let them know something’s squiffy. Just moaning about it won’t achieve anything.
