Litter and our collective duty to set an example – The Yorkshire Post says

PEOPLE are invariably quick to criticise the police – and councils – over the scourge of litter when they simply don’t have the time, or resources, to catch culprits in the act.
A surgical mask found during a recent beach clean-up.A surgical mask found during a recent beach clean-up.
A surgical mask found during a recent beach clean-up.

Yet, as the Marine Conservation Society reports increasing numbers of face masks and plastic gloves being discarded along beaches, perhaps societal action is the best answer.

If every person picked up one item of rubbish during their lockdown walk, and disposed of it safely, England’s green and pleasant land might, once again, resemble just that and marine wildlife less susceptible to plastic pollution. It might – just – shame some into changing their own behaviour.

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In the wake of a tempestuous US election, inspiration can be drawn from John F Kennedy’s 1961 inaugural address when he famously declared: “Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.”

A selection of rubbish found during a recent beach clean-up by the Marine Conservation Society.A selection of rubbish found during a recent beach clean-up by the Marine Conservation Society.
A selection of rubbish found during a recent beach clean-up by the Marine Conservation Society.

These words have never been more applicable when it comes to litter.

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