I feel very fortunate to live in Southsea. We have a really lovely coastline and beautiful Common, amenities that everyone can enjoy and that support the economy of this coastal community. However, there has been a cultural shift over recent years that means once the sun comes out it is open season for litter louts.
I want people to come to Southsea and enjoy what it has to offer, but I also want people to treat it with respect. It now seems acceptable to leave your litter lying around, I assume because people work on the assumption that someone will clean it up. Thankfully Portsmouth City Council do clean it up, but that is not the solution.
We need to change this mindset. Leaving waste lying around on the beaches and the common is terrible for the environment, terrible for others using the area and costly to the local economy. Imagine if the council had not cleaned up the rubbish throughout the day and early every morning! Would those same people have been happy to sit around in the rubbish they created.
Even though there are bins available there are a number of people who do not want to use them. As such, there is a need for legislation that can be enforced. I look forward to having a discussion about this with the Portsmouth south MP at some stage in the future.
