A Lot of Rubbish

I've been doing a lot more walking lately - not through choice but by necessity.  No job - no car. And it's a lot more inconvenient than I thought it was going to be.  Not that I mind walking.  It can be quite pleasant provided you're not in a hurry and the weather is not throwing cold water down the back of your neck or whipping up a tornado. You can't do things on impulse though - you have to plan ahead.
So I have had a different view - a close up of our surroundings at a leisurely pace. There is time to see things that you wouldn't notice from a speeding car or bus.
One of the things that I have noticed (and wish I hadn't) is the amount of litter lying everywhere.  There are incredible amounts of it spoiling almost every green space, along the sides of every road, hanging from hedges, bushes and fences.
There's no escape from it even in the countryside.  The Scottish landscape is famous for its beauty and spectacular views.  That's the big picture; the stuff they use in the scenic calendars and post cards. Up close the reality is ditches and roadside verges full of drinks cans, bottles and food wrappers.  I'm not just talking about fly-tipping; the odd washing machine or mattress left in a layby.  Even then, it must use as much effort to take the offending item to the remote location to dump it as it would to go to the nearest recycling centre.  It's free so why not do the right thing?
The problem seems to be that no-one is brought up to dispose of litter properly.  When out for a drive and you have finished your snack why wait until you find a bin; why take your litter home and dispose of it in a receptacle that will be collected for you by the council? It's so much easier and makes sense doesn't it to open the car window and throw the lot out?  Someone else will pick it up.
Those of us who were brought up never to drop litter (there is probably a cut off age for this) would not think about letting an empty packet or can fall to the ground.  We are the litterati and we appear to be in the minority.
I once had an idea for a book wherein a green party won their country's election and instituted a Litter Police Force.  Serial droppers were rounded up and exiled to a remote island where they could throw litter to their hearts' content and would only be spoiling their own surroundings.  I never wrote the book but I might vote for the party!