‘Don’t rubbish Ross-shire!’: Will YOU back roadside litter drive?
SPEND half an hour in the company of an Invergordon-based husband and wife team collecting litter from the roadside in Easter Ross and you start to see why a new campaign we are backing is so important.
‘Don’t rubbish Ross-shire’ is the tagline for a campaign launched by the county’s Lord-Lieutenant, Joanie Whiteford, with the simple appeal: “Please take your litter home”.
On a daily basis, Julian and Kelsea Dalton pick up discarded clothing, coffee cups, cans, plastic bottles, takeaway packaging and car parts. Human excrement and bottles or urine are not uncommon.
• ‘If we all picked up a bit we would see a big difference’
• Ben Wyvis community bands together for epic Maryburgh and Conon litter pick - PICTURES
• NC500 pledge asks visitors to be part of solution
Mrs Whiteford, who lives in Easter Ross, said: “I and many others within our communities have become alarmed at the increase of rubbish on our roadside verges.
“We live in such a beautiful part of Scotland and it saddens me to see it being spoiled through the unthinking actions of, what I am sure is a very small minority.”
She has been “overwhelmed” by support for the campaign which is also backed by Highland Council, the Global Energy Group and Highland News and Media.
The King’s representative in Ross and Cromarty wants to trigger a lieutenancy-wide campaign. The ultimate goal is to encourage a change in behaviour of those mindlessly littering
She said: “I just want to draw attention to the roadside rubbish which is getting worse week by week. It’s a small minority of people who think it’s acceptable to throw their litter out of their vehicle.
“They are just ruining Ross-shire. It doesn’t take much to just change your mindset and think ‘I’ll just take that litter home and put it in the bin’.”
Litter-picking campaigns and a change of behaviour will combine for a cleaner roadside: “That would be my dream.”
Julian Dalton, who works alongside his wife Kelsea as Highland Council-employed waste operatives said: “On a daily basis we are finding anything from human waste all the way through to clothing, household rubbish, car parts, tyres…you name it.
“What we would like is for people to take this stuff home with them. Put it in the proper place or take it to a waste site. Don’t always leave it to us.”
Reiterating the view of local councillors Maureen Ross, Derek Louden and Laura Dundas who all turned out for the launch of the campaign, Kelsea said it’s not just visitors and that locals also need to take stock of their own backyard. While it’s a lot worse in summer with a surge in visitors, “it’s an all-year-round” problem.
The dynamic duo cover a patch from Dornoch to Invergordon and admit it can be dispiriting to see a freshly cleaned area immediately littered again on their return.
The stretch of the A9 between Nigg Roundabout and Tain is particularly bad with disposable cups and fast food takeaway packaging, they say.
Councillor Maureen Ross appealed to locals to play their part and take a pride in the beautiful place they are fortunate to call home.
We’d like to hear your thoughts and learn more about local efforts across Ross-shire to get on top of an alarming problem. You can drop us an email to hector.mackenzie@hnmedia.co.uk
While you’re here…
If you value our content, why not take advantage of a time-limited offer to get online access to all of our Highland News and Media content for a full 12 months for just £10? That includes sister titles like the Inverness Courier, Northern Times and John o’ Groat Journal all accessed through a handy app and available as easy to read e-editions. To find out more and subscribe, use the promo code HECTORMACKENZIE here. Click the Digital+ Annual option and follow the prompts. Thanks for your support.
