Join our Countryside Clean Up

There is some sort of purpose, even if selfish or acquisitive, behind most crime and anti-social behaviour, but I have never been able to work out the logic of littering. It costs no more and takes no more effort to put rubbish in a bin than it does to wind down a car window and throw it on to the verge yet some people seem to find the latter irresistible. At this time of year most of us will get that sinking feeling as the low vegetation reveals the annual crop of fast food containers, drink cans and plastic wrappers decorating even the most rural of roads.

Many of you have always tackled this scourge in the classic way by picking up a bin bag and cleaning up your local area. Last year we encouraged people to take part in our Big Rural Spring Clean to encourage more people to clean up in their communities and maximise their impact. This year we will be co-ordinating the Countryside Clean Up in support of the Great British Spring Clean initiative run by Keep Britain Tidy.

The Countryside Clean Up will be held on the 6th and 7th April and we are encouraging all our supporters to organise a litter picking event in their local area. The experience of last year is that by promoting group litter picking through hunts, shoots and other rural groups we can increase the number of people involved and do a more effective job.

Fly-tipping is also a significant problem in many parts of the country with a more blatant financial end in avoiding the cost of properly disposing of domestic and industrial waste. It is worth noting that the right action to take if you come across fly-tipping (anything larger than a bin bag of rubbish) is to report it to your local authority. If you attempt to clear it up you may become liable for the cost of disposal.

Once you have reported it the rubbish can be removed and with the crime can be investigated. More people are being prosecuted and convicted of fly tipping offences in part because of the campaigning we have done with other rural organisations for many years.

Not only is discarded and fly-tipped litter an eyesore, but it is potentially hazardous to farmed livestock, wild animals and domestic pets. By joining together so many groups that operate for the Countryside Clean Up we can make a real difference.

Tim Bonner

Follow me at @CA_TimB