Time to get serious about litter

Sir, – It certainly is time we had a minister for litter, and a department with the teeth to enact and enforce serious litter laws.

Any cyclist or pedestrian who uses country roads will have noticed the tonnes of bottles, tins, fast-food packaging, cigarette cartons and all kinds of personal items jettisoned from cars by thoughtless litter louts.

Occasionally one encounters items such as washing machines and carpets abandoned at the roadside. What an act! It must surely be easier to drop such items in a recycling centre. Only pure laziness and stupidity can explain it.

In this year of celebration of our patriots, is it too obvious to point out that our citizens are no longer required to take a bullet for Ireland, but the very least we could do is keep the country clean by not stupidly littering?

READ MORE

Stupidity is not an excuse for this unpatriotic treachery. – Yours, etc,

PADRAIC STAUNTON,

Athboy,

Co Meath.