This is not the type of post ‘Wild Geese’ usually advocates, but it concerns one area I feel, as an established travel blogger, is my duty to highlight.
I hope you agree.
I have recently returned from a visit to the North-Western Highlands of Scotland. It is my sixth trip to Scotland in the last two years and, unfortunately, I must state I am disgusted by the amount of litter now strewn across the countryside.
This increase of rubbish has seemingly, from my personal observations, escalated during the last year and is now a problem of such immensity the Scottish Government is introducing new legislation and laws to combat the trend which, in all honesty, should never have become an issue in the first instant.
I abide by the maxim, ‘Leave no Trace’. It is this simple practice which responsible travellers, hikers and tourists adhere to.
However, many people do not seem to care about the environment or the effect littering has on others and this has prompted the Scottish Government to bring forward legislation which will make it easier to catch people who deposit rubbish (trash) from vehicles. This is a proposal that ‘Keep Scotland Beautiful’ is delighted to endorse.
Research shows Scotland’s roadsides are the dirtiest they ever have been; with local authorities clearing 50 tonnes of waste from the roadsides every month. Last week, a collaborative clean-up of the A82 in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park collected an astounding 124 bags of rubbish from the side of one of Scotland’s most scenic tourist routes.
Now Scotland is asking your help to combat this unnecessary littering epidemic, which is caused by people who are too lazy and uncaring to walk a short distance to a bin or take their rubbish home. Behaviour which shall soon be classed as an anti-social act… and, in my opinion, not a day too soon.
The Scottish Government is asking you, with the aid of your smartphones and dashcams to help identify the culprits. This increases the potential for everyone to act with more caution and consideration and encourages people to think twice about what they do with their rubbish.
The research shows more than half of adults in Scotland have seen someone throw litter from a vehicle and not pick it up, we believe the refreshed legislation will act as a deterrent and lead to a change in littering behaviour.
And don’t think just because you are not resident in the UK you will get away with the illegal act of littering… you won’t. The new legislation will have far-reaching consequences, wherever you live.
Thanks to careless beachgoers, boat trips and increased popularity of motorhomes, many of Scotland’s beaches are strewn with all sorts of rubbish, including broken glass bottles and rusty cans. You can see children’s sandcastles filled with cigarette butts and find rock pools full of rubbish. It is enough to ruin any day at the Scottish seaside.
According to a Marine Conservation Society survey, litter-pickers now collect an average of 1,963 pieces of litter per kilometre.
A growing trend is for campers, at the end of their trip, to spend a night in a secluded, unspoilt beauty spot, only to leave the area littered with their rubbish, bottles, food packaging, toiletries. This waste often includes their (now unwanted) tents and sleeping bags. It seems the low prices and ease of availability of these items have made them ‘disposable items‘. Even toilet cartridges and their cardboard packagings have been found on hill and mountainsides, where they have been casually discarded by rental motorhome drivers.
A spokesman said, “It’s quite unbelievable people think it’s okay to dump unwanted items without a thought for the environment or for other people’s enjoyment”.
For more information on how you can help Keep Scotland Beautiful, visit www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org
The Scottish Access Code says:
Take away all your litter.
Take care not to drop things like bottles, cans or plastic bags. These can damage agricultural machinery and if eaten by a farm animal or a wild animal they can cause severe injury or death. Do not leave any food scraps, (such as banana skins or orange peel; these can take up to two years to bio-degrade and will harbour potentially harmful bacteria for that length of time) or associated packaging as these might be eaten by animals and help to spread disease.
If you are visiting Scotland, please do not leave your waste and unwanted items behind. Dispose of your rubbish in the appropriate bins when provided or take it with you to your accommodation where you can get rid of it responsibly.
Don’t arrive without this knowledge… Know before you go… Read more: https://www.outdooraccess-scotland.scot/
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