Litter problem raised in House

South Holland MP Sir John Hayes has called for a national debate on the “national crisis” of litter as well as bringing back milkmen.

Sir John said recently in the House of Commons: “Across Britain, a trip up any road or down any street will be a chance, sadly, to see the litter — the detritus of our throwaway culture: cups and cartons, bottles and bags, from careless corporate coffee shops or feckless fast food outlets.

“The figures speak for themselves: according to Keep Britain Tidy, smoking-related litter, alcohol-related litter and fast food-related litter are all on the increase.”

He went on to say: “It might also give an opportunity to consider one of the most curious facets of change in our lifetime: that we have gone from the daily delivery of milk in a bottle which was recycled, to plastic cartons obtained inconveniently from distant megastores.

“It is time that Ernie, The Fastest Milkman in the West, rode again.”

Sir John told The Voice raising the issue of litter in the Commons was partly due to correspondence he’s received from constituents and local media coverage of the issue.

He said: “I think it’s a national crisis in respect of litter.

“Yes people have a responsibility to ensure they get rid of their waste responsibly and legally but It’s also about companies being responsible with the amount of packaging they produce which is causing the litter problem.

“We seem to encourage the produce of unnecessary waste and litter that you see along all the roads.

“There’s also an issue with larger items being left in farmers’ fields. They’re finding waste fly-tipped on their property.

“We’ve got to have a national conversation about this and fly-tipping and the amount of litter has to be a part of that.

“We are producing larger volumes of plastic and bottles.

“You look at the packaging on toys now and they come in all manner of plastic layers and wires for a tiny toy.

“One the strangest factors of change when we lost the daily delivery in bottles that could be recycled seven or eight times to be replaced by cartons which you have to drive to the shop to buy.

“It’s ironic that we’ve seen a rise in the number of doorstep deliveries and electric vehicles but I’ve not seen a milkman in Moulton for years.”