Meeting of the Parliament 02 February 2016
I, too, thank Cameron Buchanan for lodging his motion and congratulate him on securing time for this debate on an issue that I think we all agree is important.
Scotland is a country that is world renowned for its beauty—not only in our vast rural landscapes, but in our towns and parts of our cities. However, such places are all too often tainted by an abundance of litter on the streets and waterways of our towns and our countryside.
As someone who has never dropped so much as a sweetie paper in my life, I find it shocking, incomprehensible and, quite frankly, distressing that the issue is still such a problem in 2016. Some 250 million pieces of litter are picked up every single year. That figure is so high that is hard to fully contemplate the number of people who must be discarding litter. Littering must be tackled and reduced.
Sadly, not everyone is aware of the impact that rubbish has not only on the environment and Scotland’s wildlife but on people’s health and wellbeing. Short-term ways of dealing with litter might work for a while, but the only lasting way to stop the problem is by going straight to the source. Public attitudes to littering must change.
There is no way round the fact that the responsibility for littering must always come back to the culprits. The very definition of littering must be challenged, for while most people appear to be absolutely against ever deliberately littering, they view accidental littering—perhaps if there is only a little bit, or if there is a lack of bins—as a different matter. Such attitudes must be challenged.
People are generally embarrassed about admitting to littering, so it could be helpful to challenge any littering that is witnessed. However, as Cameron Buchanan pointed out, that could be met with aggression, so people must always be cautious.
There have been moves in the right direction. The introduction of a charging scheme for single use carrier bags in 2014 was a huge step forward towards cleaner and healthier streets in Scotland. The figures from the first year following the introduction of the charge showed that the number of plastic bags that were given out in shops fell by a massive 80 per cent, which is equivalent to 650 million bags. Not only that, but the scheme has saved more than 4,000 tonnes of material when we take account of factors such as the increased use of bags for life. In addition, as we all know, significant amounts of money have been generated for charity.
Such schemes help to change people’s attitudes to the environment and what they do with resources. That allows at least some pressure to be taken from local authorities, which lie under the heavy burden of cleaning up litter. Some 15,000 tonnes of litter are cleared by local authorities every single year, and that work is costly. Included is about 4,000 tonnes of tobacco-related litter, such as packaging and cigarette butts. That is another reason to give up smoking.
It is extremely important, then, to applaud the work of the charities and volunteer groups that dedicate their efforts to helping to keep Scotland’s streets clean. The work that these communities do is invaluable, and as well as setting an example to others on how to keep their streets clean, they can encourage others to follow in their footsteps.
In my constituency, I have carried out a Cumbrae beach clean once a year for nine consecutive years, involving the local community. Wearing high-visibility vests with “Volunteer” and “Keep Scotland Beautiful” on them helps to make people think. Kilbirnie community council carries out six such days a year, and others take place across my constituency from Beith to Fairlie and Arran. The Ayrshire litter volunteer network is at the forefront of such action, organising groups wherever possible. Such groups must be applauded, as the work that they do not only keeps Scotland’s streets cleaner and safer but helps to alleviate the pressure on local authorities and allows them to use their time and resources on other matters.
I have long been an advocate of the adopt a road scheme that works so successfully in North America, whereby groups, individuals or businesses take responsibility for keeping a given stretch of road free of litter, working closely with local authorities. Schools also work hard to inculcate responsibility for not littering. Indeed, adults are more likely to be responsible for littering, so it is their attitudes that must be focused on.
Scotland is rightly considered beautiful by many visitors, but they also find it dirty by the standards of other European countries. In 1985, I had a German girlfriend who invited her parents to stay with her in Scotland for a fortnight. They left after three days because the country was just too dirty, in their view. I found it profoundly embarrassing. We must work together to reduce litter and thereby change perceptions of Scotland for the better.
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