Bill Bryson, noted travel writer and president of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), has called for "systemic and vigilant" enforcement of the law against litterers.
Bryson, speaking after the CPRE Stop the Drop Anti-Litter exhibition in Parliament, discussed his concerns about "a growing collective indifference" to littering in the UK.
The US-born author, who has served as president of the CPRE since 2007, noted that littering was becoming an "increasing problem" in his adopted country, and that there was a growing "to hell with it" attitude to dropping litter.
"I've looked on with a certain amount of dismay as litter becomes an increasing problem," he said.
In Westminster to support the Stop the Drop campaign, Bryson said that anti-litter activism needed to be backed up by "concerted government action", and that the issue of littered streets could be solved "relatively inexpensively".
He said that "The only way to make real headway (on littering) is for a government or an authority to push it through."
"Litter is about the way you present yourself to the world, about the way you live, and what you're prepared to put up with in this country," Bryson said.
However, he stated that there was "a general sense of a lack of will" from the government to tackle this.
Bryson further expressed his concerns over the extent of littering in the UK, which he claims has become "yuppified".
"Dropping litter is moving across class boundaries and becoming universal," Bryson warned.
Article Comments
Congratulations on reinvigorating your campaign to Keep Britain Tidy.We are totally in agreement with your suggestion that a general advertising campaign is waged nationwide to drive home the horrors of the litter landscape which we now have to endure. The throwaway society in which we live needs to be aware that throwaway should only be at home and into receptacles provided, and not on the highways and byways, despoiling our countryside. Children in particular can be very receptive and if this message were put to them by schools and the media, I am sure it would have the desired effect.At the moment, no-one seems to care, although there is a large silent majority who agree with you wholeheartedly.
27th Mar 2010 at 5:37 pm by Joan and Colin BaxterSome people really care about the quality of life. Bill Bryson is obviously in that group. I recently read his book 'Notes from a Small Island' and would love to someday be able to visit Britain and see it through his eyes anew. It would be a terrible shame if it were to become ruined on account of a complacent few who 'could care less'. Or is it --who 'couldn't care less'? (Bill knows)
24th Nov 2009 at 3:10 am by Richard
