Litter pickers tell of ‘revolting’ rubbish
VOLUNTEER litter-pickers are “disgusted” after clearing up human waste and bottles of urine as they filled 100 sacks with rubbish at one layby in Leicestershire.
Scott and John Gibbins, volunteers with South Leicestershire Litter Wombles, cleared the rubbish, which they estimate weighed in at more than half a tonne, at a layby on the A426 Rugby Road near Cotesbach.
Scott, 52, from Wigston, said he and his 19-year-old son John collected 100 sacks of rubbish in the lay-by over the past two weekends.
“We were there on Sunday and filled 57 sacks,” he said.
“The weekend before we filled 43 sacks and we have only done the two ends of the layby.
“There is all the middle section to be cleaned up yet.
“Each of the sacks weighs about 15lb when full. That is a lot of rubbish.
“We are disgusted at what people will do there. We have had to tackle piles of human excrement and countless bottles of urine.
“It is revolting.”
Scott, who has been with the volunteer clean-up group for 18 months, said he spotted the rubbish in the layby as he went to pick his son up from his girlfriend’s house one day.
“I thought it would be a good site to have a go at because I could see quite a bit of rubbish on the side,” he said.
“When we first went on Sunday, November 22 we could not believe how much garbage there was.
“There were car tyres, household rubbish, takeaway food wrappers and hundreds of cans of bottles of booze. It is shameful just how polluted that layby is. To fill 100 sacks and still have a good section to go is incredible. It is a disgrace.”
Scott said when he and his son had finished collecting the rubbish they contacted the local council through an online app. “The council comes and disposes of the rubbish,” he said. “it is very satisfying to see the clear green spaces once the job is done.
“It is also good exercise, too. We will be out here doing this as long as we are needed – by the look of things that is going to be for a long time.”