Bottles, cans and greasy barbies, litter is someone else’s problem
COLUMNIST
IMAGES of one of Wales’ bestloved beaches left ankle deep in rubbish following the hottest day of the year don’t just tell a story of a disregard for the public space.
It’s something a bit deeper than that.
The general malaise in how we treat places meant for everyone’s enjoyment has not been helped by the lack of council resources for cleaning up mess.
Not only do many people increasingly not care if they drop litter anywhere, there are not enough council cleaning teams to keep on top of all this rubbish.
Barry Island was left looking like a rubbish tip during this week’s heatwave.
Its popularity continues, it has a wonderful beach and has enjoyed investment intended to make sure it still attracts thousands every year.
There are few people in southeast Wales who haven’t enjoyed a day in the sun at Barry Island, whether a brisk walk in the depths of winter, or some sunbathing in summer.
Pictures of popular spots subsumed by garbage become familiar when the weather is good.
A couple of years ago I lived opposite one of Cardiff ’s many beautiful open spaces, which during warm days would be filled with people enjoying whatever brief glimpse of summer had come.
Depressingly, no matter how many big bins were left by the council around the park in anticipation of these events, by the end of the day the green grass would always be hidden beneath an inch or two of discarded cans, used disposable barbecues and empty pop bottles.
Blame is rarely apportioned to the culprits, rather the councils, which supposedly do nothing.
But our litter-strewn streets, beauty spots and tourist attractions are arguably the most tangible example of society not functioning properly – you could call it the something-fornothing-isation of the country: an entitlement to something without the responsibility for its cost.
You get it when hearing people bemoaning the state of the NHS but not understanding the need to pay to make it work better – and you can apply that to infrastructure, to council-run services, to schools and whatever else is paid for by the public purse.
Rubbish? That’s not my problem – it’s someone else’s.
On-the-spot fines and more council clean-up teams will help in the short term. But littering will always be an unsolvable problem while a hefty minority of individuals forget the responsibility they owe others the moment they step out of their front door.