I WAS interested to read the article on efforts to improve the litter situation around Loch Lomond (“Litterbugs face fines in drive to keep loch's banks bonnie”, The Herald, July 25) and we welcome the moves by the national park authority and others to step up litter law enforcement and associated litter education initiatives. However, in the absence of a more integrated and better litter management service we believe these efforts will fall short of what is required on the ground to make a real and lasting difference.
At present there are a number of agencies involved in litter management in our two national parks and there are great inconsistencies in the approaches currently adopted in terms of litter bin provision, frequency of emptying and efforts generally to help visitors dispose of litter in responsible ways.
For example, along the busy A82 trunk road on Loch Lomondside there are no litter bins in any of the lay-bys and there are regular recurring litter problems. This contrasts markedly with the A9 as it winds its way through the Cairngorms National Park where there are large bins in every lay-by and minimal litter problems as a consequence.
There are also inefficiencies in litter collection with, in some instances, two bodies being responsible for emptying different litter bins in the same car park and viewpoint and at different frequencies, which can result in some bins being emptied regularly while nearby ones are left overflowing. This makes little sense to us and we would like to see anomalies like this resolved to improve the little management service.
At busy visitor hotspots efforts to encourage visitors to take litter home have consistently not worked and in our view what is required is adequate litter bin provision and regular emptying as it has been proven that when bins are provided most visitors will act responsibly and use them. This would help reduce the considerable investment required in regular litter picks over wide areas at these sites and, combined with the new litter enforcement and educational activities recently announced, would make a real difference to helping ensure the banks of Loch Lomond are truly bonnie with fewer accumulations of litter that we can all be proud of and enjoy.
James Fraser,
Chairman,
Friends of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs, 33 Argyle Grove, Dunblane.
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