John’s Take on Scotland’s Litter Strategy
(Inspired by listener John’s response to Episode 81 of Rubbish Talk)
Few people know the realities of waste and litter management better than John, a Rubbish Talk listener and guest on Episode 53. After hearing our recent episode on Episode 81, he shared his candid thoughts on Scotland’s approach to litter, policy, and responsibility — along with a letter he sent to The Herald.
From Verges to Vexation
John starts by recalling a few moments that shaped his frustration with litter.
He remembers his wife, Jean, having to restrain him in 1999 from confronting “four large youths” at McDonald’s near Ayr Racecourse who had just tipped their rubbish out of their car window.
He also recalls when the Director at Monklands — secured access to Strathclyde Regional Council’s roads meetings in the 1980s. “He had his people go out and litter-pick the verges before lane closures,” John explains. “It made the roads safer and kept the place tidy.”
But things changed. “When the Scottish Parliament took over,” John writes, “they offered verge maintenance contracts but forgot (perhaps deliberately?) to require litter clearance first. Hence the proliferation of shredded litter nowadays.”
It’s a simple oversight that has left Scotland’s roadsides far messier — and far more dangerous.
What Volunteers Are Up Against
Before volunteer litter-pickers were allowed out, John says, “they had to be warned that a 2-litre bottle of liquid probably contained the contents of an HGV driver’s bladder — and should be treated as such.”
It’s the sort of grim but practical detail that illustrates what community volunteers face every day when stepping up where systems fall short.
John’s Letter to The Herald
In October 2025, John wrote to The Herald responding to the National Litter and Fly-Tipping Strategy: Year 2 Update and Year 3 Action Plan (2025–2026). His letter — not published, but shared with us — captures his deep frustration with the gap between policy promises and practical results:
“The document is full of the standard phrases and clichéd wording that please politicians, promising to ‘deliver the national litter and fly-tipping strategy.’
But there’s no mention that these same agencies have quietly ignored the Code of Practice on Litter & Refuse (introduced over 30 years ago), which places clear responsibilities on councils to provide adequate street cleaning services.
Too many councils aren’t issuing enough Fixed Penalty Notices to people who drop litter or fail to clean up after their dogs; SEPA hasn’t closed many illegal landfills, and 20% of our waste is now managed by criminals.
Even when prosecutions happen, penalties are rarely a deterrent.
SEPA also can’t publicise offenders on social media — prime ground for fly-tippers — which could easily be remedied.
All these fine words aren’t going to change things. There will always be a hard core of people who litter, but there’s also a sizeable group who might stop if they thought they could be caught.
Catching, naming, and shaming them would do far more than another glossy strategy full of promises that aren’t working.”
Plain Speaking, Powerful Point
John’s message is blunt but hard to argue with: Scotland’s litter and fly-tipping problem won’t improve through well-meaning plans alone. It needs consistent enforcement, practical design, and the courage to tell the truth about what’s not working.
Hear more about the policies shaping waste and litter management in Episode 81 of Rubbish Talk, and don’t miss John’s earlier reflections in From Dustbins to Wheelie Bins: John’s Walk Down Memory Lane