A SADDLEWORTH councillor has delivered a simple message to people in the area – ‘Don’t be a tosser.’
That is do not toss away rubbish or not pick up your dog’s mess.
Saddleworth West and Lees’ Cllr Alicia Marland is an active litter picker in her community and has seen a significant increase in the amount in recent years.
After witnessing drivers throwing take away boxes, drinks cans and cigarettes from their vehicles and being infuriated by their inconsiderate behaviour, she has taken action on the ‘tossers.’
And she called on people to take responsibility for their own actions as the Oldham borough authority cannot clean everywhere.
She said: “Why do people think other will clean up after them?
“Whether it is leaving a coffee cup on a bench, a cigarette butt on the ground or a takeaway box – if you do this then you are a tosser.
“You are the worst type of tosser if you don’t clean up after your dog or leave the poo bag handing in a tree.
“It is easy to take your litter home with you – we all have bins at home, so don’t leave it where it doesn’t belong.”
The Keep Britain Tidy campaign is running the annual Great British Spring Clean and Great Big School Clean from March 13 to 29.
And many areas have their own litter picking groups, Liberal Democrat Cllr Marland believes people can look at forming their own.
She added: “The problem starts in the community and whilst the council’s waste collection teams are doing their best, it would be impossible to clean every street in this borough each week.
“The money and resources spent on cleaning our streets could be used for other services.
“People want to be proud of your neighbourhood so please be considerate to your community and the wildlife.
“There are many local litter picking groups in Oldham which is a huge benefit, but they wouldn’t be needed if people didn’t drop litter in the first place.”
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