Talking rubbish

Donna Niven of Keep Scotland Beautiful (Letters, 2 April) suggests that 6,311 £50 fixed-penalty notices issued last year to those caught dropping litter means the problem is being taken seriously. However, in the 27 local authority areas involved this averages only one fine every two days or so, which seems unlikely to act as any great deterrent in view of the scale of the problem.

Unfortunately, the younger generation have been raised in an environment where rules and boundaries are deemed "authoritarian", and the enforcement thereof considered to "alienate" or "demonise" young people.

Hence they are quite happy to stand knee-deep in their own rubbish at prominent entertainment events, with the powers that be praising their "behaviour and attitude" and "exemplary behaviour", presumably on the basis that they haven't committed serious crimes or taken part in large scale disturbances.

It seems unlikely that a handful of fines handed out – to no doubt easy targets – will reverse this trend.

STUART WINTON

Hilltown

Dundee

Following correspondence on the subject of countryside litter (Letters, 2 April) it seems some people believe that discarding all types of waste and rubbish is the normal accepted practice.

Dropping litter does nothing to enhance the beauty of our country. As the tourist season starts soon something must be done to remedy this disgraceful state of affairs and a clean-up continued on a regular basis.

There is a large number of people on the unemployment register. What a great opportunity for Alex Salmond to create employment and earn respect from the Scottish public and visitors to help us have a clean and tidy Scotland to come home to.

GRAHAM STEPHEN

Western Road

Montrose

I am encouraged that SNP candidate Graeme McCormick (Letters, 3 April) should have such concerns regarding the intolerable problem of litter.

It may surprise the writer that I have been petitioning the Scottish Government for two years on the very subject that he is advocating and that is to put legislation in place to have a mandatory deposit scheme on all drinks containers.

The petition was supported well, even by the drinks industry among others, but, sadly, the government did not take it any further.

Frankly, the country, with particular reference to the Central Belt, is a dump.

It is high time that we adopted mandatory deposit scheme and had a system of punitive measures to all litter louts.

ALEXANDER GEMMELL

Glebe Wynd

Bothwell, Lanarkshire