YOUR VIEWS: We must all help tackle Highland beach litter
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A reader looks at the problem of litter on Highland beaches – and how it can be tackled.
Striving to make a positive difference on beach litter
For the last few months my partner and I have visited Nigg beaches where the ferry goes across to Cromarty.
We were horrified to see the amount of rubbish, plastic bottles, gun cartridges, cans, plastic bags, tyres, ear plugs, work gloves, sanitary products and polystyrene washed up on the beaches every time we visited.
We took it upon ourselves to keep carrier bags in which to collect the rubbish and on each visit we would put two full bags of rubbish into the bins at the car park.
We have also used copious amounts of sanitising gel.
We witnessed beach users leaving sandwich and crisp bags used disposable E-cigarettes semi buried in the sand rather than
walk to the car park and use the bins.
When will this littering stop? Do our seas have to become so rubbish strewn that our much-loved marine and wild bird life we enjoy witnessing here cease to exist?
My heart breaks not just every time I go to Nigg but Golspie, Dornoch etc...equally litter strewn.
When are we as human beings going to take responsibility?
Why do so few people take it upon themselves to pick up after the many?
The most shocking part of our two man crusade was being accosted by a man who asked ‘did we get enough?’.
I looked puzzled at him, and offered him a look in my carrier bag.
He apologised, saying he had been collecting driftwood and had left a load on the dunes.
He thought we had helped ourselves to his wood.
Enquiring if he was local he said yes, he was.
My brain ached to ask why aren’t you out here keeping this beautiful place clean, as well as collecting driftwood.
He simply went on his way, stepping over bits of rubbish, collecting driftwood.
I worry what our grandchildren will inherit once our generation has gone.
If we all took a bag with us each time we went to the beach and did a wee tidy up, I’m certain it would make a difference.
Get the kids involved – instil the importance of nature and our environment.
The rig workers should appropriately dispose of their ear plugs and work gloves – a lot of the items found had labels indicating their origin.
It’s also time the Highlands banned single-use plastics.
Make bins on beaches more available and empty them regularly.
Lisa Wilson
Inverness
Letters should be submitted to newsdesk@hnmedia.co.uk. Please include your address and a daytime contact number. You can also tweet us: @InvCourier or leave a comment on Facebook @invernesscourier
