IT’S an issue that has long vexed the authorities that run our national parks and those who visit the parks - the disturbing carelessness of people who are content to disfigure areas of scenic beauty by dumping litter.
The problem is particularly acute in the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs national park, one of the most beautiful parts of Scotland. Three years ago, a major campaign involving Police Scotland and the Loch Lomond park authority, and devoted to the issue of littering and anti-social behaviour, was launched. It came on the heels of frequently-voiced concerns over littering, fly-tipping and wild camping. The campaign came with warnings that National Park Rangers could now impose fixed-penalty notices of £80 for littering and £200 for fly-tipping.
It may have had an impact, but more, evidently, needs to be done. The park is now so pockmarked by unsightly rubbish - empty drinks cans, plastic waste, discarded camping gear - that the authority has now appointed a Litter Prevention Manager in the hope that the issue can be solved. The salary that comes with the well-paid post is an indication of the seriousness with which the problem is being treated.
A “joined-up” litter strategy will be developed, bringing in external partners. This partnership approach is important, especially given the current situation in which the park’s 720 square miles are covered by different councils with differing litter strategies. Reductions in public spending have also left their mark. Meaningful leadership, though belated, has to be welcomed; but it may be, as Nick Kempe, a member of the executive committee of the Scottish Campaign for National Parks, says, the new post needs political support so that a workable strategy can be achieved.
Meantime, what is to be done about the litter-dumping and fly-tipping culprits? Heavier fines? Naming and shaming? It will be interesting to see what emerges from the new strategy, but some may feel that stringent action is required.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here