You may be one of the many admirers of the UK countryside and a lover of the great outdoors. But there is one thing that everyone finds irritating when walking through a pristine green space. It’s the bad habit of littering that people can’t stop doing. 

Whether we call it trash, junk, or litter it is all the same. It’s usually most noticeable on the sides of the roads in outlying areas: the careless rubbish disposal of lazy people who have no consideration for the environment. It manifests itself in the form of anything from cigarette butts to sweet wrappers, plastic bottles, and used beverage cans.

At Junk Removal Wirral we know too well about rubbish collection and disposal. Keeping your community clean is our focus and priority. But the wide dispersal of litter is a job that requires the help of residents in helping keep their environment clean and free of junk. It also requires a change of habits, which is a far bigger challenge. 

Dispersal of trash is not limited to the side of the roads, however, as explorers will tell stories of finding junk in the most remote places, from the north pole to the south pole. 

Flytipping and How it Takes Place

At this point, it’s important to distinguish between flytipping and littering. Flytipping is the deliberate act of dumping rubbish in an illegal place. The perpetrator purposely takes a shortcut rather than going to an authorized place for rubbish disposal such as a landfill site. 

In order not to be caught, the act may occur at night, or be done along a remote country road. The load is deposited in a hurry, and therefore it is likely to be right at the side of the road. It means that a new area of pristine countryside starts to get spoilt by the junk that is left there.

If unattended, the site then becomes used by others who may think it is safe to fly tip there. When this occurs the illegal dump site starts polluting the waterways and toxins start to leach into the soil. 

This is also true of builders’ debris, which then becomes hard to remove once it is dumped illegally, due to its excessive weight. 

The public is encouraged to report an incidence of flytipping immediately so that the authorities can take the appropriate action. Leaving it to others could result in the proliferation of illegally disposed of junk on that spot. 

Littering and the Perpetrators 

Normally thought of as the casual and careless throwing away of a waste item in a place where it shouldn’t end up. Like a cigarette butt out of a car window, it is an action that does not consider its consequences. 

Litter could be anything from dog poop to a used chocolate wrapper that ends up in a place it isn’t meant to be. 

In our throwaway society where we are happy to consume food in single-use plastics, eat takeouts from fast food outlets, and generally not be eco-conscious, litter is on the increase. 

One would imagine the manufacturers are concerned that their products don’t become litter. Having instructions on the packaging about the disposal once used is common, but doesn’t really seem to have an effect. The major categories are:

• Confectionery product wrappers
• Alcoholic beverages: cans, glass, and plastic
• Packaging from fast foods

Imagine visiting a green area, a forest, or a place of natural beauty and coming across any of the above.  Dog owners also are to blame in instances where they don’t pick up their doggy-doo, while provision should always be made for rubbish disposal receptacles along the way. 

Harm Litter and Waste Causes 

Money is always needed to clear litter, as asking the residents of an area to continuously become junk cleaners isn’t fair to them. But money has to come from somewhere to do this, the challenge is where and how. Many feel that manufacturers should be more liable. Others feel law enforcement and fines should be more rigorous. 

What is clear, the harm litter causes is enormous:

• The cost of clearing a fly-tipped area, or pavements, verges, and natural areas each year is very high. 
• Wildlife mortality continues as small animals succumb to ingesting waste materials or being harmed by them.
• Lowers the value of the neighbourhood through unsightly junk and litter in the community areas. 
• Litter is also associated with areas that are more disposed to have dodgy characters. 
• It spoils natural areas for others and reduces the enjoyment of the outdoors for hikers, bikers, and campers.

What Can We do about Litter? 

The difficulty of littering is that a lot of roadside litter ends up in places where it is hard to retrieve. Like empty packages ending up in a hedgerow. Or plastic in a waterway. Both are challenges for the casual volunteer to access when doing a cleanup. 

Increasing fines for littering may help, but of course, this has to be implemented accordingly. 

The burning question is how do we get smokers, who are the most prolific litterers with their cigarette butts, to show restraint when they don’t consider the throwing away of the end of the cigarette as a big deal? 

It’s impossible to change the fast food trend, while making the packaging more environmentally friendly may be the answer, educating the consumer not to dispose of the empty container is a bigger challenge. 

A good waste management company in your community is a real asset to have. Besides providing out-of-hours service and on a weekend, a local licensed rubbish collection company will give the backup needed to keep the town and natural areas tidy. 

It means that whatever is collected from these areas is assured of being disposed of correctly, and not ending up where they were before. 

Call the professionals at Junk Removal Wirral, and you are assured that your waste will be disposed of in the correct manner. 

When you need a junk removal service, call us at 0151 808 0407. 

We will be pleased to hear from you.

Email: enquiries@junkremovalwirral.co.uk

www.junkremovalwirral.co.uk