Let the litter louts pay

Published: 19 March 2010

THERE has been discussion of whether to charge householders for the volume of the rubbish in their dustbins. Mine is stuffed with tabloid papers, McDonald’s debris and canine excrement. 

An archaeological sleuth might draw totally false inferences about my lifestyle. I do not patronise tabloids or  junk food, neither do I own a dog. I just remove some of the offensive litter that besieges me. 

Were I to be charged for this, I would refrain from clearing up other people’s litter. 

The problem lies outside the home. The litter lout and irresponsible dog owner should pay. The trouble is that they are difficult to detect. The solution is to impose truly draconian penalties, to reflect the difficulty of detection, and to charge sufficient so that with luck the council tax-payer profits from such delinquent behaviour.

Robert Simpson
Wolsey Road, N1