The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
End the disgrace of litter dumped by roads
Sir, - Several correspondents from different parts of the east of Scotland have highlighted the volume of litter dumped at roadsides.
Some of it is a result of fly-tipping and some has simply been thrown from car windows.
There is little point berating the police and local authorities for the problem because they did not deposit it. This scourge has its roots in sloth and lethargy which breed attitudes of indifference to the appearance of the environment and the rights of fellow citizens.
What else can explain the actions of people who meet in car parks to consume fast food and then throw the waste below their vehicles?
Walk along many country roads in Angus and you will find pizza boxes, curry cartons, plastic bottles and fastfood containers.
It is far from unusual to come across discarded beer bottles.
Are people really swigging from beer bottles as they drive before throwing them from windows?
Another favourite missile launched from vehicles is the used disposable nappy.
I wonder how long it will take them to degrade in a ditch in Angus?
In this part of the world we should count ourselves fortunate that the urban centres are not too large and we are surrounded by easily accessible countryside.
However, that beauty is being despoiled by oafish behaviour.
Police officers and litter wardens cannot be out at all times hunting for litter louts but one or two hefty fines would focus minds.
In contrast to the feckless fast-food dumpers, fly-tippers show even more determination.
They make the effort to drive bin bags full of rubbish, old white goods, furniture and building materials into the countryside and dump them in lay-bys or at farm entrances. This is a disgrace.
Robert Anderson. Kirkton, Arbroath.