Sir, - I read with interest your report on Ireland's litter problems on 19th May 1998. Mr Dick Warner's suggestion of a skip once a month for large household refuse is excellent.
The trees of Dublin are festooned with ugly torn plastic bags. Beaches, hedgerows and grassy verges are similarly decorated. Why can't supermarkets offer recycled strong paper bags as an alternative to plastic as they do in the United States, particularly for people with cars? Not only do most supermarkets not provide such an alternative, they use far more plastic bags than are necessary when packing groceries. It is clear that we should be recycling more than the old bottle or two and that there should be regular recycled material collections.
There is also the practice of parents telling a child who is clutching a piece of rubbish to "throw that dirty thing away". Frequently the parent even grabs the child's hand and with an expression of disgust shakes the child's hand so that the piece of sweet, sticky paper, chewing gum or whatever is flung on the pavement. The child gets the message alright! Regularly, children fling rubbish out of car windows, watched fondly or at least ignored by their parents. I have never seen a car pulling up and a child trudging back to retrieve rubbish. When that day dawns, Ireland's litter problem will be under control. - Yours, etc.,
Anne O'Neill,
Estuary Road, Swords, Co Dublin.