Hansard

I thank Scottish National Party colleagues, Alex Fergusson, Alison Johnstone and Labour members whose support for the motion has allowed an extremely important subject to be aired in the chamber.

It is entirely fitting that members have an opportunity to recognise Keep Scotland Beautiful’s work in inspiring up to 220,000 Scots to take part in this year’s two month long clean-up, which removed 1,100 tonnes of rubbish from the environment. In so doing, we should offer it our encouragement as it plans an even bigger and better exercise next year, which is the year of natural Scotland.

We must recognise, as KSB does, that what is needed to address the littering issue is not just volunteers trailing behind the litterers and cleaning up after them; a culture change is also needed. We need people to realise that dropping litter or fly-tipping are unacceptable antisocial habits. In part, that might be achieved by exercising existing enforcement powers more effectively or increasing penalties to provide an enhanced deterrent. I believe that my colleague Chic Brodie will cover that issue in his speech. However, it is also about fundamentally altering mindsets.

I took part in one of the litter picks in my constituency, which was organised by Colliston primary school. That school is located just off the crossroads on the main Arbroath to Brechin road, which links the village of Colliston with nearby Letham Grange. Teachers, parents and kids set out in teams to tackle the scourge of litter in an area that extended no more than 500m away from the school in assorted directions. In spite of the relatively small amount of ground that we covered, we soon ran out of litter bags; indeed, my team had to return to the school for fresh supplies within minutes.

It was not just the volume of rubbish that we found that was disturbing; its nature was also disturbing. Why would anyone feel the need to dispose of a pair of Y-fronts by apparently throwing them from a moving car? Perhaps I have led too sheltered a life. Actually, our experiences were rather tame compared with those elsewhere. Among other items that were found in the clean-up were a guitar, a drum and 70 bottles of a particular brand of light perry. That must have been some party. A bed, fish boxes, a toilet seat, a park bench, the rear seat of a car, ironing boards, a wheelie bin and a whip were also found. That was the kind of whip that Indiana Jones uses, not the type that back benchers in the Parliament dread. To be serious, those are hardly items that people would drop inadvertently or accidentally—they were deliberately dumped.

Before and during the litter pick in which I was involved, it was interesting to listen to what the kids were saying about littering and to note their horror that people abandon food, drink and goodness knows what all round their school. Hopefully, those youngsters will grow into the kind of adults that we should be—people with respect for the beautiful country that we are fortunate enough to live in—although, sadly, most of us have almost become oblivious to the rubbish that is abandoned in our streets and our countryside.

However, that is not the case for many of our youngsters. Earlier this year, I was asked to judge a photography competition that was organised by Webster’s high school on the theme of “My Kirriemuir”, in which pupils were asked to produce photographic images that encapsulated their town. Mixed in with the predictable shots of Peter Pan’s statue and the camera obscura, there were disturbing photographs of rubbish abandoned in the stream running through the Den and, most memorable of all, a close with litter spilling out of bins and strewn across the area. That is how some kids saw Kirrie—a town spoiled by people lacking pride in their surroundings—but we must face the fact that those images could have come from any corner of Scotland.

People’s attitude to litter must sometimes be called into question. A farmer in my constituency farms at least 7 miles away from the closest fast-food outlet. He told me of how he had watched from a distance as a dog walker dropped a half-eaten burger and fries on the private road leading to his property. Presumably, that gentleman had purchased his food and driven out to the countryside to consume it while taking a leisurely stroll with his dog only to discover, when he got there, that the grub was cold, so he tossed it aside. That is an interesting contradiction. The individual valued the countryside enough to want to drive out and take a stroll in it, but he had so little respect for those surroundings that he discarded his uneaten food there.

That is the kind of attitude that Keep Scotland Beautiful wants to change by establishing a sense of civic pride. When Keep Scotland Beautiful was established more than 40 years ago, its aim was to campaign for a cleaner country. In the 21st century, that aspiration remains. KSB estimates that there are approximately 2,000 pieces of litter per kilometre on Scotland’s beaches. It also estimates that in the past year it has been involved in the removal of enough litter to fill 42,000 wheelie bins. All told, KSB reckons that the uplift of litter is costing the country £100 million a year. We cannot continue like that, especially when, as well as the eyesore that that presents, there is the lost opportunity for recycling.

The Scottish Government’s important initiatives include the planned recycling on the go initiative. It has also tasked zero waste Scotland with producing what has been described as

“a robust and comprehensive ‘state of the nation’ evidence report on litter’,

which will inform future litter strategies.

The £250,000 litter prevention innovation fund—applications to which closed last week—assists local authorities, community groups, landowners and businesses to support and implement innovative local schemes. However, successfully tackling the issue will need more than Government initiatives, local authorities discharging their responsibilities effectively or even the many worthy small-scale local campaigns that are operating around the country and which other members may choose to highlight. People must take personal responsibility and there is a need for many more people to develop a respect for their surroundings.

I refer to the theme of Keep Scotland Beautiful’s 2013 campaign. If 220,000 folk could collect 1,200 tonnes of rubbish in eight weeks during the springtime, how much could be collected if 1 million people could be mobilised over 52 weeks? KSB hopes that a successful campaign will see well in excess of 10,000 tonnes of rubbish removed from the environment. It hopes that the campaign will succeed in changing the nation’s behaviour with regard to litter and fly-tipping. KSB realises that that will require it to capture the hearts and minds of individuals, communities, institutions and businesses. Those ambitions are bold but, after the unprecedented response to the 2012 national spring clean campaign, KSB is optimistic that a momentum is building with people becoming much less willing to tolerate litter and fly-tipping.

I hope that the message from Parliament today is that it supports the work of Keep Scotland Beautiful as part of a general drive to make Scotland a cleaner, greener place.

17:09