THE announcement that The Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park has appointed a litter manager ("Loch's latest weapon in the war on trash ... a £40k a year litter manager", The Herald, February 7) will come as no great comfort to the long-suffering residents of the park.
As litter is a major problem throughout our lovely country it can only be a matter of time before all councils follow suit.
That we are still grappling with this issue generations after children were taught not to drop litter indicates that the message and penalties are not working. We are a nation of clarty middens, and appointment of people to manage rather than abolish litter shows a lack of commitment.
The only way to remove litter from our nation is to give it a value. Every package and container should carry a 50p refundable deposit at point of purchase.
This will encourage retailers and producers to rethink how goods are marketed and in the meantime provide a decent income for those who are prepared to pick up the litter dropped by those with money to burn. Barcodes can manage the process.
It will save our councils millions in refuse costs and turn our country into a cleaner, greener and pleasant land.
The Scottish Government is to be congratulated that it is developing this strategy following the approval of the principle at the SNP annual conference.
Graeme McCormick,
Redhouse Cottage, Arden, by Loch Lomond.
YOUR reporting of a litter tsar for the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park caught my eye. Having lived at Loch Achray for the last 30-odd years, it never ceases to amaze me that the national park and Stirling Council could never agree on an effective litter removal plan. Litter has been much more of a problem since this area was rebranded as a national park, especially at Easter and bank holiday weekends. This simple fact still escapes both parties and many times I have reported bags or loose litter in the hot spots. Sadly, each party throws it over to the other as “it's not our problem “. Foxes, crows and badgers rip open bags and the mess is generally blowing down the road until the middle of the week.
The only truly effective litter clean-up is a community initiative with 20 or so residents doing a deep clean of the verges and laybys, usually in March or April. The £40,000 salary if it was divided among local communities would make a huge difference to litter clean-ups.
Let’s hope Mr/Ms Litter Tsar can shout loudly, as neither parties will be listening – and that he packs a litter picker and some black bags so that he can make a real difference.
James Lindsay,
Creag Mhor, Loch Achray, Trossachs.
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