It was time for another walk. I pressed the buttons on Clint's onboard computer and he whisked me off in an easterly direction along the A57 to Worksop in Nottinghamshire. There he parked himself along a quiet lane close to Manton Lodge. We were on the northern edge of Clumber Park - once the country estate of the Dukes of Newcastle.
Today I just wanted to walk in Geograph squares that I had not yet ticked off. There were many, many trees but with the assistance of a map I made my way happily in a sausage-shaped circuit of some six miles.
On one narrow lane I met two council workers in day-glo jerkins. I conversed with them for a while. Their role is to clear up litter and something awful that we in Britain call "fly-tipping". I do not know what this is called in America, Canada, Australia, Germany or New Zealand. Essentially, fly-tipping is the dumping of rubbish in the countryside. Often it's simply the detritus from building projects - broken tiles, old lumps of mortar or half-empty bags of cement, random bits of wood, plastic bags and suchlike. The thing is that someone has to clean this crap up - people like the two men I met.
As we parted, I said "Keep up the good work gentlemen!"
Flytippers are the lowest of the low in my opinion. They do not give a toss about the environment that we all have to share and apparently they have zero concern about the fact that their mindless dumping causes local councils extra and very unnecessary expense.
Ah well, it's nice to blow off a little steam.
Clint transported me back to Sheffield with little persuasion. Beforehand, we pulled into a McDonalds where I was hoping to purchase one of their brand new plantburgers but apparently they have not reached Worksop yet.
Just dumping rubbish here, domestic and building rubble. Without defending the serious crime, I think it is often done because of the difficulty and expense of disposing of rubbish lawfully. If disposing of waste has to be subsidised and it leads to less fly tipping, then that may worth while.
ReplyDeleteYour last point is pragmatic. It could be very effective.
DeleteIn the US we call it dumping, or illegal dumping, or being a complete and total jerk. Nice looking woods you were walking in.
ReplyDeleteHa-ha! "Being a complete and total jerk..." I can think of a recent US president who could have been accused of that.
DeleteI don't know that we have a word for fly tipping in the U.S. besides littering, although what you're describing would be dumping. And we call what those crews wear high-vis vests. :)
ReplyDeleteI have heard that you call nappies diapers and you call sweets candy and a boot is a trunk! Crazy stuff!
DeleteI live in the countryside in Ontario, Canada. We don't call it fly tipping, but the problem is the same. There is an old open face mine near my in-laws home that is FULL of construction debris, furniture, appliances, bikes, cars, everything. Absolutely disgusting!
ReplyDeletePerhaps symbolic of the world we live in.
DeleteNow no comments on the last photo! What gives? What are the little houses? What's with miss Piggy? That photo could make a whole blogpost.
ReplyDelete"The Pig Who Broke Free" by Keith Kline.
DeleteOnce upon a time there was a pig called Sheila...
In Australia, fly tipping is just called plain old dumping.
ReplyDeleteMc Donalds here announced the release of a plant based burger a while backers but every time I thought I would try one I couldn't see them on the menu. I go to McDonalds very rarely so I just thought I must have confused them with some other eatery. They recently announced that the plant burger would be removed from sale due to low sales. *eye roll*
That's ridiculous! Here they were only announced them two weeks ago so where the hell are they? The staff in Worksop knew nothing about them!
DeleteFly-tipping is simply called "illegal dumping" in my corner of Canada. There are fines that can be levied but it's often difficult to establish who has done it. It's especially hard on the environment when dumping is done by waterways. It's relatively expensive to pay to get rid of stuff at landfills here - it's a disincentive to do the right thing. Also, construction and demolition materials have to be separated from regular garbage and items such as old furniture, and anything with refrigerant has to be dealt with separately from both of those. The rules don't seem to encourage good behavior. If the landfill operators would just hire a couple more people to separate the waste I think it would help get it to the appropriate place more easily. I'm not defending illegal dumping, just saying that all the rules make it even more likely to happen, unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteWe lived close to a country dirt road call the Old Coach Road when I was growing up. The second and last photos are lovely. I'd enjoy walking those paths.
Your thoughts about pragmatic solutions to fly-tipping echo mine.
DeleteI think Fly-Tippers should be punished far more seriously than they are. Their trucks should be seized and crushed, and they should be made to pick-up every single scrap by hand, and take it away. As for their fines, I think they should start at £5,000, and increase in accordance with the seriousness.
ReplyDeleteThe "authorities" could help by allowing easy access to sites where rubbish is dumped. Also, any builders who fly-tip should have their driving licences revoked.
DeleteIt would be good to see litter bins in the countryside and on the beaches and bins for covid masks.
ReplyDeleteBins for COVID masks would have to extra large as there are so many of them around!
DeleteA beautiful woodland walk, rather atumnal.
ReplyDeleteFly-tipping is called something like wild rubbish dumping in German, and it is illegal here, too. I agree with what some of you have said, that there would probably be less of it if it weren't so complicated and expensive to get rid of building debris etc. legally. Here, the official sites have opening times and locations that make them not easy to reach for many. But I guess there will always inconsiderate, nasty folks who will leave their rubbish anywhere. Yes, they should be made to pick up each and every scrap; same is true for those who leave their sweets wrappers and coffee to go cups around for all of us to enjoy. On the other hand, how that can be enforced, I don't kknow - I certainly do not wish to live in a police state where I am constantly watched, and with every wrong movement, have the authorities descend on me. (Of course, I don't drop wrappers and such, and always take my things home with me when we've been having a picnic or on a walk.)
I am the same with you about litter - scrupulous. Now why is that? I guess we just feel that it is our responsibility as citizens. We belong to societies. No one has to make us behave considerately.
DeleteJust think though; with all that wood, stone and plastic with perhaps an old mattress or two some enterprising Gentlenan of the Road could build himself a useful little shelter for the winter.
ReplyDeleteIf your house sale should fall through again, Lord Peregrine could build the two of you a snug little shelter in the woods of Dhoon Glen.
DeleteWhen I saw the photo of the avenue of trees, at first glance I thought, Oh my he has been to Harpenden! If you " google" Rothamsted Park Harpenden and look at some pics, you will see what I mean!
ReplyDeleteI googled it and I do see what you mean ma'am.
DeleteLooks like a lovely walk. Both Tom and myself miss walking in the country but must be grateful that we were able to have lots of lovely walks in the past.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the pig looking so bemused at, did you have your shorts on?
Briony
x
I was having a piddle through the wire fence at the time. Good job it wasn't electrified.
DeleteIn London all sorts gets dumped on the street-bed frames, mattresses, furniture, prams -people expect it to mysteriously disappear. I know for a fact in Germany they have a scheme whereby once a month you're allowed to put very large items on the street outside your house and it will get collected the next morning by the council. Meanwhile if students or people setting up home want to take it for themselves they can take it, so a much better system
ReplyDeleteWhy don't we still have stocks for the culprits?
DeleteThe councils are making it difficult for people to get rid of their rubbish here. We have to make an appointment to take garden rubbish or general stuff to the tip.
ReplyDeleteI remember when the tip was a huge place and people were allowed to take away anything that would be useful to them, not any more you are not allowed, it all gets thrown whatever state its in and often there are really good items that could be reused.
Guess if we all recycled stuff the manufacturers would be up in arms as they would sell less new stuff.
That's the world today.
Briony
x
"That's the world today from me Briony Cater in Brighton. Now over to the weather with Gavin Williamson..." I agree that the authorities have a lot to answer for with regard to effective waste disposal systems.
DeleteWhat a beautiful spot for an autumnal walk. Love the pig - are those huts their "accommodation", or have fat Daleks finally landed in disguise?
ReplyDeleteHere we are more fortunate offloading most of our waste materials. Each urbanisation has very large bins for use by householders use - one for kitchen waste, one each for plastic, paper, glass and pottery. Apart from Sunday, the one for general kitchen waste is emptied daily. All the bins are placed together in strategic positions - there are at least three such areas within walking distance of my house. Beside them is an area where householders can leave their garden cuttings. If anyone leaves other, larger household items, the equivalent of the rag and bone men are usually round pretty quickly to snap them up. Furniture, fridges, TV's, cookers, paint and things like cooking oil, dangerous liquids etc., are all supposed to be taken to a central area which receives them free of charge. Builders and professional gardeners are supposed to pay to dump their rubbish. I'm told that all plant cuttings are recycled and sold as compost.
This morning I went into Lidl specially to buy a vegan meal, and noticed that they were all heavily discounted. Not surprising, as unfortunately they just didn't look appetising. Reading the ingredients label on the burgers I finally selected, I see that the main contents seems to be different flours and a couple of things I've never heard of, and most of the items available were chicken flavoured.
Sounds like they have a better system in Spain. It's all about thinking things through more intelligently.
DeleteNot sure if it's common throughout Spain, but certainly my town seems to have set things up sensibly.
DeleteSome councils have make it difficult to take things to the tips or "recycling centres" as they prefer to call them. I have to admit to putting several recyclable things in the dustbin when previously I would have dropped them off at the tip when passing, which I'm not going to do if I have to queue for 45 minutes or make an appointment. I would never fly-tip, but suspect some people do it because of the barriers to proper disposal.
ReplyDeleteThat is a HUGE pig! I'm with you on the fly-tipping -- perhaps unsurprisingly we see a lot of it in the city, though not the immense piles (literally truckloads) that you sometimes get in the country. Fly-tippers are indeed the lowest of the low. I think a lot of times they're disreputable disposal companies that take payment to haul stuff to a dump and then just leave it somewhere and keep the money. In America, fly-tipping is just called dumping. You see signs everywhere that say "no dumping," just as here they say "no fly-tipping."
ReplyDeleteHaving read some of the comments here, I can see that you have been told what we call it- illegal dumping. Or alternatively, trashy asshole behavior. It is a little reassuring to know that this is not just a problem that we Americans have. I have found dumped trash in the woods not half a mile from the dump site where are supposed to take our trash.
ReplyDeleteAre those domes in the field with that fine looking pig shelters for the pigs? Forgive my ignorance.
The second photo reminded me of William Cowper's online poem The Poplar Field (1784) though I know the trees are not poplars.
ReplyDeleteThe Poplars are fell'd, farewell to the shade
And the whispering sound of the cool colonnade.
*Robert Goulet sings Trees* YouTube.
The soundtrack is flawed. Goulet sings this old drawing room ballad perfectly.
Haggerty
As one who lives in a rural area, I am always angered by folks leaving their trash on the side of the road.
ReplyDeleteThe worst offenders, though, are those who dump unwanted animals. The saddest was the cardboard box of 12 puppies left across the road the day after Christmas one year. We took in two from that litter. In fact, the majority of our dogs have been acquired in that way.
No real catchy term comes to mind but like someone up thread, illegal dumping is probably the best phrase for it here. My parents use to sort through the trash looking for identification and then give the person notice that they have a day to clean it up before it gets reported to the authorities.
ReplyDeleteIt is terrible but I must confess, on some of the old farms my parents farmed, I would come across ditches where old settlers dumped their refuse and I find it quite interesting poking through it to see what I can find. But modern versions of it disgust me.