Lovely Milton Road Bus Stop

I don't really understand people that just throw rubbish onto the ground.
It doesn't take much effort to retain crisp bags and drinks bottles until you have reached a public waste bin, I do it whenever I buy a food product that I want to consume immediately, or alternatively save money and don't buy a product that has plastic packaging. When it comes to paper and card (or hybrids that can be seperated, such as card and plastic sandwich packaging), I try and take it home to recycle.

Fixing the economy won't stop this, if anything a booming economy with fewer and fewer green policies will increase the amount of garbage, in hedgerows or in our bins. Picking it up and burning it isn't a solution either, that just moves the problem from the ground into the climate (carbon emissions).

Manufacturers and retailers are providing the product and using plastic, it isn't a question of blame, it's a question of identifying the source and those that have the capacity to change (retailers and manufacturers).

 

The demise of the plastic carrier bag

Hmmmm, looks like i'll be turning my attention away from plastic carrier bags if The Daily Mail and Gordon Brown have their way. Maybe if the campaign against plastic carrier bags is successful i won't have to take photos of them flying like flags in trees and bushes around Waterlooville. I think it will be a long time yet though before plastic garbage is completely gone from the trees, grass and hedgerows of Waterlooville and the UK. So you can expect to see more horrible photos of Waterloovilles waste problems in the future until something is done to tackle the problem of crisp packets, fast food containers and other such rubbish.

Asda fly the bag in Waterlooville

An Asda plastic carrier bag caught on camera at the Hambledon Road Retail Centre, near the pedestrian underpass. The dual carriageway traffic lights can be seen in the background.

Well done Asda Waterlooville for achieving greater heights with plastic bags. This one looks like it might be blown away in a gale, who knows where? Maybe to the big rubbish dump collecting in the Pacific ocean.

The good news is that the bag isn't full of dog shit, which is what you do observe in plastic bags a lot on the streets here in Waterlooville, surrounding areas and other parts of the UK.

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.