Are You Dirty or Lazy If You Say No Then Don’t Drop Litter.

As the school holidays draw to a close, parks across Havering may finally get a moment to recover. For weeks, as temperatures rose and families quite rightly made the most of our green spaces, a different and far less welcome trend has been left behind. Rubbish scattered across grass, food packaging abandoned, drink cans tossed aside and bins overflowing while waste sits just inches away from where it should be.

It raises a serious question about respect. Not just for the area we live in, but for each other and for the environment we all share.

There is a growing sense that parts of the borough are being treated as disposable. That someone else will clean it up. That it does not matter. But it does matter, and residents are increasingly fed up with seeing their local parks turned into dumping grounds.

Take a walk through areas like St Andrew’s Park in Hornchurch and the problem is clear. Bins are placed throughout the park, easily accessible and clearly visible, yet rubbish is still left strewn across the ground. Groups gather, enjoy food and drink, and then walk away leaving the evidence behind. Pizza boxes, bottles, wrappers and half eaten food left for someone else to deal with.

And it is not just young people. The blame does not sit with one group alone. One resident recently described watching a man in his 60s sitting in his car in a Hornchurch supermarket car park, calmly opening his window and dropping a handful of litter straight onto the ground before driving off. No attempt to hide it. No hesitation. Just a complete disregard for the space around him.

This is not about age. It is about attitude.

Havering Council has already tried to tackle the issue through its respect where we live campaign, encouraging residents to take pride in their surroundings. Yet despite those efforts, the message is still not getting through to everyone.

Littering is not a minor issue. It affects how people feel about where they live. It attracts pests, damages wildlife and contributes to pollution. It sends a message that nobody cares, and once that message takes hold, the problem only gets worse.

There is also a wider pattern at play. While exact borough figures are not always published, it is widely recognised that litter increases during school holidays and warmer periods when parks and public spaces see higher footfall. More people using these spaces should be a positive thing, but only if they are respected and looked after.

Instead, what we are seeing too often is carelessness.

Dropping litter is not accidental in most cases. It is a choice. A deliberate decision to leave something behind rather than take responsibility for it. And that choice speaks volumes.

It is dirty. It is lazy. And it shows a complete disregard for the community and the environment.

The solution is not complicated. Use a bin. If the bin is full, take your rubbish home. It takes seconds, and it makes a difference.

Because at the heart of this is a simple truth. If you would not throw rubbish on your own floor at home, why would you do it in the place you live.

Havering deserves better than this. Residents deserve better than this.

So next time you are about to drop something on the ground, stop and think.

If you say you are not dirty or lazy, then prove it.

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