Meeting of the Parliament 02 February 2016
I also thank and congratulate Cameron Buchanan for securing a member’s debate today on what is a very important issue for people’s everyday lives. The impact of living in a housing estate that is continually littered up or strewn with the results of dog fouling because people are not cleaning up at the back of their dogs cannot be stressed enough.
I always assume that the majority of people are responsible and caring, would not litter up their streets or public parks, would not walk away from litter and would clean up at the back of their dogs. It is a minority who tend to cause the major problem—but a problem it is.
A housing estate’s being full of litter impacts on the environment in which people live and can impact on the health and wellbeing of residents. That is how important the subject is. It is disappointing therefore that the national strategy does not seem to be working. Perhaps we need to ask what we can do about that. The minister might pick up that point.
As a former council leader, when a council is faced with making cuts in budgets and there is a choice between the grass verges that Cameron Buchanan mentioned being cut four times per year—or once a year—or cutting school budgets, the grass verges will come first for budget cuts every time. As we have seen in the summer when verges are cut perhaps once, the grass then gets very long, and people have a tendency to throw rubbish in it. When the grass is eventually cut, the mess is a nightmare.
We have seen a reduction in the number of wardens. Again, if the choice is whether to cut wardens or to cut education for the children, the wardens will be chosen. It is important that the local authorities recognise the importance of litter, but if their budgets are under pressure, that service will often be what goes first.
I held street surgeries over the summer and dog fouling came up as an issue in many parts of the constituency. My experience in Fife has been that, where the council has been proactive with signs and phone numbers and is clearly willing to act and to fine people who will not clean up at the back of their dogs, something is done about it and improvements take place. Enforcement is important and we need to recognise that if we are to tackle the problem.
As both Chic Brodie and Cameron Buchanan said, education is also very important. The example that I cite is that recycling rates in Fife—the highest in Scotland—are partly the result of promoting recycling through eco-schools. The education of children has meant that they have constantly pushed their parents, grandparents and the community to recycle, which has had a big impact on the recycling achievements that we are very proud of in Fife. Education is important. I visited last year a school from which pupils had been across in Germany. I asked them how they had got on. They stressed that one of the first things that their guide said to them when they got off the bus in Germany was, “Whatever you do, don’t drop any litter, because it’s simply not tolerated in this country.” Perhaps we need to make the point that it is simply not tolerated in any community here.
I am out of time, Presiding Officer, but I congratulate Cameron Buchanan again for bringing the debate to the chamber. Let us hope that it does not stop today, but that we find out what is working, and what is not. It is a very serious issue for people and communities across Scotland.
18:20