Saturday 1 January 2011

Smokers think twice

It is a new year and I suppose there will be many resolutions made about losing weight, getting fitter or earning more money. I don't suppose there will be many resolutions about putting litter in bins but there is an article in this week's local paper about fines for dropping cigarette butts. I am not exactly sure how much it costs to drop a cigarette butt as the newspaper also reports that litter was dropped as well and the three people that are mentioned also incur costs and a victim surcharge whatever that is.

It sounds like you have to jump through a few hoops before you get fined but it is nice to hear that something is being done about litter as I am a great believer that we should be disciplined over small matters and then there will be more control over more important matters. The lack of care that many of us show in keeping the country tidy is one such aspect. I have seen bags of fast food rubbish being thrown from a car window for the rubbish to lie in the street until a council worker comes along to pick it up. There is litter on the street and when my Canadian relatives come to visit they comment on the British attitude to dropping litter.

The trouble with smokers is that they don't think that their cigarette butts are litter. Maybe they will think twice now but somehow I think it will take a little longer to sink in that they are dropping litter.

Change the world

2 comments:

  1. You ould write a whole week's worht of blogs and only scrape the surface!
    Recycling is a brilliant idea, but why do the council operatives leave the stuff they drop, because of their rough handling, to litter the streets?
    Also, it isn't just cigarette smokers who think their dogs ends aren't litter. People who chew gum seem to think when they have finished the pavement is the right place to leave it. Picking chewing gum from your shoes, or dogs paws, is n fun. And when you don't chew gum it is extremely annoying. My parents have visited Singapore, and they said the pavements there are spotless, as gum chewers are fined..."on the spot".
    Maybe a topic for my blog?

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  2. Who knows, maybe those who visit foreign countries will do their bit to keep Britain tidy. Maybe writing more blogs will help.

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