Fly-tippers, litter louts, picnickers without a bag to take their empties home in … they’re the scourge of Scotland, aren’t they? If there’s one thing that can unite us all in a frenzy of indignation it’s the trash they leave behind. But what to do about it? Ryan Clark of security firm Safer Scotland, it turns out, has a few ideas – trash cams that record fly-tippers and litter louts, and shout warnings at litterers.

Talking trash cams? What are they likely to say?

Who knows? “Bin Brother is watching you?” or “Have you ever heard of a bin?”

Do we really need to go that far? Isn’t it just a matter of a few posters politely reminding people to take their rubbish home with them or put it in a bin?

You would think so, but that hasn’t worked so far. Writing in Scottish Business News early this year, Mr Clark observed that this summer Scotland has floundered “in a sea of thoughtlessly discarded rubbish”.

What about that lovely ‘Scotland is stunning’ Zero Waste Scotland campaign? You know, the one with the signs that say things like ‘Hamish was in the Highlands – but you’d never know it because he took his litter home’. Hasn’t that worked?

I noticed that one too – and I took my litter home. But still, it often feels as if the whole of Scotland – not only our countryside but also our city parks and streets – are being treated as a giant waste bin. As Ryan Clark put it: “A lot of focus this year has been on the countryside, as people who have been locked down for a year sally out to enjoy some fresh air and exercise. Unfortunately, many of these people may not be familiar with the tenets of the Countryside Code or even with the concepts of respect and consideration for others.”

Is it really any worse than any other year?

Most councils seem to be struggling with the problem. Midlothian is reportedly considering bringing in an army of “private enforcers” to tackle fly-tippers and litterers. In a Scottish Parliament motion, Glasgow Shettleston MSP John Mason noted that a “considerable amount” of littering and fly-tipping was “reportedly” happening across Scotland.

Okay, so I’m coming round to Bin Brother? But how’s it going to work?

Clark’s suggested solution was “littering cameras” that could record film “of litter being thrown out of a car with the vehicle’s licence plate, and thus to details of the owner”. Culprits could then be fined – and those fines, at say £80, would be enough to cover the camera installations. He also suggested: “The system could be backed up with video analytics to identify littering and send an automated Tannoy message to the miscreants.”

 

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