Litter is Scotland’s international shame

Sir, - The recent Clean for the Queen campaign has created controversy beyond its original intentions.

The reality is that litter is becoming the scourge of Scotland that often puts off visitors who come to this country drawn by visions of natural beauty unblighted by careless litter louts who spoil the environment.

I host many visitors from the Americas and elsewhere.

Too many times my visiting guests have mentioned the mounds of litter along our motorways that make an unwelcoming first impression after arriving in this country.

Too many times I have had to make excuses for motorists sitting in queues of traffic tossing fast-food containers, bottles and discarded baby nappies from their vehicles on to the verges.

Too many times I’ve had to try to draw attention away from students at lunch break as they toss litter and uneaten food on to the pavement as they walk directly past available refuse bins.

We all want visitors to Scotland to leave with a positive impression but unfortunately from my experience many leave perplexed by the careless attitude by Scots to their environment.

I recently tried to tell one of my visitors that due to cutbacks (austerity) the local councils were finding it difficult to cope with the litter.

My foreign guest mentioned they had no provision for litter cleanup in their city budget and that they never had such a provision yet their city and area were litter free. I was embarrassed.

What they were saying was that their culture emphasised individual responsibility whereas ours put the blame elsewhere.

In other words, their children, neighbours, and friends would not think of dropping litter with an expectation that the government would pick it up for them.

Frankly, I don’t care if it’s Clean for the Queen or some other gimmick, Scotland (and the rest of Britain) needs to address the litter problem and more importantly the overriding issue of personal responsibility. Bill Davis. The Coach House, Reres Road, Dundee.