Real menace of littering

ROSEMARY Goring (“Litter louts are the real human debris”, The Herald, July 13) berates the spreaders of plastic litter and supports sterner punishment legislation and its enforcement. It’s still hard to understand why folk foul up their and others’ nests. Catching the culprits is difficult – unless yet more CCTV surveillance is accepted. Litter thrown from vehicles is essentially untraceable – for example there is always a steady flow on the A9 up from the Tore roundabout north of Inverness.

Notwithstanding that, she is right to want plastic wrappings and packaging to be cut down, but she neglected to say that there is a gigantic global problem far outweighing local concerns: the oceans are awash with plastic of every conceivable type, much is worked down to very minute size and inevitably we consume these particles when we eat seafood. Who knows what the long-term effects might be? Joe Darby, Glenburn, St Martins Mill, Cullicudden, Dingwall. AS I write, a memory of my previous visits to Sydney comes to mind as I recall a Sydneysider calling out to a person who has dropped a cigarette packe : “Oi mate, pick it up.” The delivery was positive and yet there was somewhat typical Australian concern about his environmental pride and his attitude to mindless litter.

I inevitably compare the Scottish psyche; although there are positive signs of a positive attitude to our litter problems, there is much to be done to improve our habits. Can you imagine the Scottish reply to the above instruction? James Muir, 108 Hillview Drive, Clarkston, Glasgow.