Rubbish Waterlooville

Waitrose bag Asda bag Tesco bag Bag of unknown origin Shopping cart

Plastic carrier bags and other rubbish trapped in hedgerows and grass are an eyesore around Waterlooville. The photos here were taken this weekend near Waterlooville fire station and along the dual carriage way bypass. There seemed to be examples from every local supermarket, Waitrose, Tescos and Asda. The problem is that most people don't notice the mess in the grass and hedgerows, whilst sitting in their cars. You have to be walking past it to really appreciate the crap that is lying around. Car drivers probably use more 'disposable' carrier bags than pedestrians these days, as most pedestrians i see with shopping bags have there own sturdy bags or recyclable 'bags for life'. So not only do drivers ignore the bags, but they are probably also the primary reason why supermarkets in the UK keep supplying 'free' carrier bags to customers. How can the mess be cleaned up? Well one could blame the people that drop the bags on the pavement. But the bags are just as likely to blow out of public waste bins along the street or out the back of waste collection vehicles. So who should take responsibility for cleaning this crap up? I think the supermarkets and other retail outlets in Waterlooville should contribute to a yearly clean up fund. This could be used to pay for a team of people to go around the grass verges and hedgerows cleaning up the rubbish a few times a year. Twice a year is probably sufficient. I don't think that Havant council does anything, i might be wrong but i have never seen anyone clean it up. Of course the other solution is to eliminate the packaging and bags. Biodegradeable packaging has been around for centuries, it's called paper and card! But obviously there are other modern alternatives as well. Banning disposable plastic carrier bags is another obvious way forward. If you don't like it, tough, you'll have to survive without, i'm sure you'll manage.