Litter: It’s the most disgusting and annoying thing ever (apart from a few other things)

Nothing annoys me more than litter.

Well, nothing apart from the eejits who don’t use their indicators, the people who block supermarket aisles, the drivers who only use the middle lane on the motorway, cyclists who break the lights, electric scooters, people rumbling for the exact change they never have, motorists who block the yellow boxes at junctions, delivery trucks parked on double yellow lines, people who don’t say thank you when you open a door for them or let them out in to traffic and shop assistants who talk on their ‘phones or to each other while you’re waiting to be served.

Other than those few things, it’s littering.

Our capital city used to be known affectionately (!) as Dear old Dirty Dublin.

Right now, it’s Dear old Absolutely Filthy Dublin. 
And it’s everywhere.

Oh yes, you see those guys, God help them, pushing those motorised sweepers up and down the streets. But they don’t go into corners, and can’t just nip in behind people to sweep away a few butts. The guy with the brush was far more efficient.

And there are fewer street cleaners about, far fewer.

The last time a street sweeper appeared on the road where I live – it’s in the Dublin City area – I think they were cleaning up after the 1916 rising.

Anyway, I was walking the dog the other day, up by Nutgrove Shopping Centre while my wife did the shopping. I’m not good at shopping because a) I buy too much and b) I buy the wrong things.

There’s a green area beside the shopping centre, perfect for a stroll for the likes of me because it’s flat. Due to COPD I can’t do hills.

So I was looking forward to strolling around with the mutt.

Until I got there.

Everywhere I looked, litter. Cans, bottles, paper cups, bags. Everywhere.

And wondered what kind of people do that? What kind of people just throw stuff on the ground? 

And I thought, you know CCTV might be intrusive, but if you’re doing nothing wrong, there’s nothing to worry about.

But wouldn’t be worth whatever invasion of privacy is involved (if any) to catch the lowlifes to just chuck litter around the place, fag butts out the window of the car, black sacks down laneways, mattresses down country lanes and building rubble at beauty spots.

Not to mention eejits who don’t use their indicators, people who block supermarket aisles and … Oh yes, I do know that blocking a supermarket aisle is not a crime.

But it bloodywell should be!