My Letter to Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London.
Dear Mr. Livingstone,
Last Saturday I was travelling on a suburban city train out of the City of Sydney. At one stop four young lads got on and were talking about what they wanted to buy and where they wanted to go, where was the next rave and how to gate-crash a party. They were obnoxious, shoving each other, showing off, too loud... but harmless enough. Groups of young lads like these can be found in just about every large city in the world.
One lad was flicking through a sports magazine when a flyer fell out of it and on to the floor of the train... he immediately said... ‘Ooops! Mustn’t litter’, got out of his seat, picked up the flyer, screwed it up and put it in his pocket.
I am aware that this may not happen all the time but my immediate thought was... he wouldn’t do that in London and he jogged my memory about writing to the Mayor of London when I got home.
Having lived in England three times and for extended periods since 1968, this year I was very disheartened to see the amount of litter in the Suburbs of London, on Major Roads, in Parks and all along the High Streets. There are plenty of people working at picking up the Litter but if one suggests to the person who just threw that screwed up bit of litter on the ground that they pick it up and put it in the nearby bin or to take it home one is immediately told to get lost and mind one’s own business.
What has happened to England?? It was such a unpleasant change from last time we were over there.
I know there are Clean Up campaigns going on, there was a designated day in Wood Green where we lived but it’s obviously not enough. May I suggest you get in touch with Ian Kiernan who’s done wonders with his Clean Up Australia Campaign. http://www.cleanup.com.au/au/
Pennie Griffiths
P.S. Love everything else about London though, especially the Transport System, it’s the best we’ve ever used with the most courteous and helpful staff we’ve ever come across. P.
This photo of Wood Green was taken on 22nd February 2006, I'm on the corner of Lordship Lane and High Street, Wood Green Tube entrance is in the middle of the photo.
Last Saturday I was travelling on a suburban city train out of the City of Sydney. At one stop four young lads got on and were talking about what they wanted to buy and where they wanted to go, where was the next rave and how to gate-crash a party. They were obnoxious, shoving each other, showing off, too loud... but harmless enough. Groups of young lads like these can be found in just about every large city in the world.
One lad was flicking through a sports magazine when a flyer fell out of it and on to the floor of the train... he immediately said... ‘Ooops! Mustn’t litter’, got out of his seat, picked up the flyer, screwed it up and put it in his pocket.
I am aware that this may not happen all the time but my immediate thought was... he wouldn’t do that in London and he jogged my memory about writing to the Mayor of London when I got home.
Having lived in England three times and for extended periods since 1968, this year I was very disheartened to see the amount of litter in the Suburbs of London, on Major Roads, in Parks and all along the High Streets. There are plenty of people working at picking up the Litter but if one suggests to the person who just threw that screwed up bit of litter on the ground that they pick it up and put it in the nearby bin or to take it home one is immediately told to get lost and mind one’s own business.
What has happened to England?? It was such a unpleasant change from last time we were over there.
I know there are Clean Up campaigns going on, there was a designated day in Wood Green where we lived but it’s obviously not enough. May I suggest you get in touch with Ian Kiernan who’s done wonders with his Clean Up Australia Campaign. http://www.cleanup.com.au/au/
Pennie Griffiths
P.S. Love everything else about London though, especially the Transport System, it’s the best we’ve ever used with the most courteous and helpful staff we’ve ever come across. P.
This photo of Wood Green was taken on 22nd February 2006, I'm on the corner of Lordship Lane and High Street, Wood Green Tube entrance is in the middle of the photo.
2 Comments:
Good for you Pennie! It looks terrible and each act of littering is very selfish.
I find littering to be very offensive and a sad reflection of the character of the person who can do it without any thought of the consequences.
KLM
I don't have a problem with littering. I think there is nothing more unsightly than a rubbish bin, either in a public or private place. They attract undesirables - those that fill them and those that then rummage through them.
I agree wtih your comments that we are blessed by having the Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park so close.
I find the Park so handy. I drive in early in the morning or late in the evening, either before the money-grabbing gate-keeper has arrived or after he has left. Without having to drive too far, I find a patch of boronia or other dull Australian native and empty a boot-load of household scraps and old newspapers on top of it. Plus carboard boxes full of stuff from the back seat.
I have an outboard motor for my dinghy and two petrol containers, but I can never remember which one I've added two-stroke mixture to. To solve the problem I empty both containers on the pile of rubbish and then go to Caltex with my Woolies (see later comments) save-four-cents-a-litre card and refill both of them.
I have high standards. I will not set a match to the pile on a total fire ban day.
I often admonish children I see placing rubbish in bins. I point out that McDonalds packaging now contains no plastics and is totally biodegradable. Rather than forming unsightly and useless landfill, I educate the children - the packaging should simply be dropped wherever the contents are eaten, to turn into happy compost after a short time.
Plastic bags are a boon. Although I hate to be seen carrying those unfashionable green Woolies bags, their combination with plastic bags are a gift. If I take a green bag with me, I still fill plastic bags with fruit, eg one or two apples in one plastic bag, one or two oranges in another pastic bag, a container of three pieces of corn on a styro base wrapped in plastic in yet another plastic bag. You get the idea. Go to the check-out counter. Lift all of the plastic bags out of the green bag onto the counter - and here's the trick - leave the packet of Tim-Tams in the bottom of the green bag - they never ask to check the environmentally friendly green bags. Instant discount! And a warm feeling from having done something for the environment.
Best wishes
Peter S
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