How do you all feel (particularly you parents) about Jan Wilson's litter picking idea? She wants school children to be taken out to collect litter from around the school and local shopping centres. If I was a parent of a Sheffield child I would be blowing a fuse.

I know it sounds self righteous but my children have been brought up not to drop their rubbish in the street. It isn't a difficult thing to achieve if started at the very beginning of a childs life. I would not have my kids picking up litter dropped by people who can't be arsed to dispose of theirs properly. Besides which who knows what they might find on the streets in this day and age.

Surely schools should be educating children about keeping the place clean and tidy (assuming that parents have failed to do this) and making the culprits pick it up themselves.

Is it a cheap way for the Labour leader to get the streets cleaned? What next, perhaps a spot of graffiti cleaning or chewing gum removal! :evil:

Well as a parent in Sheffield - my children are not going picking other peoples litter up. If the school try it then my child is coming home and they can sue me.

They can eat...........*ahem*

What about the risks to the kids - they obviously don't give a rats arse about that do they??

:evil: :evil: :evil:

I hadn't heard about this Mo. Thanks for putting it up here.

Moon Maiden

My kids school has already started this, and I was mortified when my daughter said that they are doing this. Although she has not actually done it yet.
Basically they pick litter up in and around the school grounds and they provide rubber gloves litter pickers and bags etc.
My kids have also been brought up not to drop litter and often they come home with crisp wrappers, ice cream wrappers etc in the pockets. Makes a right mess in the washing machine if you don't check:D

Maybe they should only get the kids doing it who are the offenders, that way it may stop them dropping litter in the first place.

I wonder if it is legal to make a child to pick up other people litter with no evident that they have dropped litter themselves.

Lack of litter bins doesn't help and the town centre is really bad in the summer when it is overloaded with cans.

When I was at school, they used to make kids do "litter picking" duty for misbehaving.

Not only did it teach the kids to behave themselves, but it also taught them not to drop litter... and it also taught them to persuade others not to drop litter in case they had to pick it up again! (Well, that was the theory anyway :wink: .)

Making all the kids pick up the litter is so unfair!

Schools are supposed to be places where children go to learn, not to be dragged out of classes to do the councils dirty work for them. This idea is outrageous, and whoever thought it up ought to spend a few hours a day picking up litter themselves. I'm sure they'd soon reconsider.
Besides which, don't we pay enough council tax so that this kind of action is unneccesary.

Originally posted by "John"

I wonder if it is legal to make a child to pick up other people litter with no evident that they have dropped litter themselves.

Good point John but I wonder how many parents who disagree with the proposal will actually go into school or write in saying that their child/children must not be asked to do it.

The solution is to make whoever is dropping the litter to pick it up, whether it is adults or schoolchildren. People need educating and teaching not to drop litter in the first place.

For too long this problem has been ignored, and it has been allowed to continue unchallenged, why? when scores of new litter bins have been provided dont the citizens of this city use them?

It is an excellent idea, the children of today are taught to be fine ambassadors for the City.

I hope the children are going to be well rewarded for the their great efforts.

Why can't they get prisoners to do it? They do in America. A bit of unpaid menial work wouldn't do them any harm.

I agree with you about putting prisoners to work clearing up the litter, Oh, and while we are on the subject, put these millions of young , strong, fit, men, on the job,who are drawing job seekers allowance and doing no work at all for it. They just lie in bed most of the day knocking children out of their partners and then the taxpayer pays to bring the children up!!! :( :( :(

Originally posted by "Mo"

How do you all feel (particularly you parents) about Jan Wilson's litter picking idea? She wants school children to be taken out to collect litter from around the school and local shopping centres. If I was a parent of a Sheffield child I would be blowing a fuse.

I know it sounds self righteous but my children have been brought up not to drop their rubbish in the street. It isn't a difficult thing to achieve if started at the very beginning of a childs life. I would not have my kids picking up litter dropped by people who can't be arsed to dispose of theirs properly. Besides which who knows what they might find on the streets in this day and age.

Surely schools should be educating children about keeping the place clean and tidy (assuming that parents have failed to do this) and making the culprits pick it up themselves.

Is it a cheap way for the Labour leader to get the streets cleaned? What next, perhaps a spot of graffiti cleaning or chewing gum removal! :evil:

To be honest, and some people wont like this suggestion, but I would adopt the same litter picking attitude as Toronto Canada.
People there on Benefits (i.e Jobseekers Allowance) are made to clean up litter and wash graffitti from walls to earn there benefit money.
I think we'd see a SHARP fall in claimants.. or a rise in Incapacity Benefit claimants. Either way.. if it was bought in with the help of Dr's in the city to be more vigilant on who they give DR's notes to... so the Incapacity Benefits couldn't be abused... it would make for a very good idea.

At the risk of incurring people's wrath, I'm all for children helping to pick up litter in and around their schools. For a couple of reasons
:roll: As a worker for an environmental charity, many people seem to think that it's down to me and my colleagues, including the Rangers, to pick up their rubbish for them. Not my favourite part of the job, but certainly not as bad as people are making it out to be
:( Because I get to help pick it up, I can tell you I'm paying very close attention to whose dropping the stuff. And I'm sorry to say it's mostly kids. Maybe not your's, but somebody's. I think it's a great idea for young people to have to go out and see first hand the impact littering causes, and it's certainly not going to scar them for life having to help out in their surrounding community. And if they're not responsible for doing it in the first place, then they're probably the kind of kids with a social conscience, so it shouldn't be such a horror for them to be involved in helping out.
:?: Why shouldn't kids learn firsthand that practical, helpful involvement in their community is a good thing? And that things like littering have a very negative impact on their environment, not just scenically but personally too. And those who are littering are learning a valuable lesson about cause and effect.
:? They do not - !!! - expect children to pick up needles and sharp pieces of glass. That is left to adults who are trained to deal with such things. Your children are NOT going to pick up any dodgy diseases from picking up rubbish. There are safety guidelines in place to prevent such things - it isn't in anyone's interest to poison or harm the children in any way.
:lol: Also, maybe it would surprise you to learn that one of our most popular practical activities with kids is litter picking. Go into a park with a pair of litterpickers and you're soon surrounded by kids who want to help. I've had years of experience of this, and it still surprises me, but it's very true.
Helping to tidy up where they live is not going to harm children. It may be a bore having to do it at school. They may not have dropped litter in the first place. But they're doing a good, helpful thing, and learning about our impact on the environment at the same time.
I don't think it's helpful to tell them that they shouldn't have to make a difference to their surroundings, that stuff like that should be left to prisoners and the unemployed.

Laura.
Stepping off my soap box and preparing to do some serious litter picking on Sunday at Black Bank. Hopefully the local community will want to help, not tell us it's not their problem and someone else - anyone else but them- should have to deal with it.

This seems an appropriate time and place to plug a Clean up Ruskin Park day. This is to be held next Saturday, 17th May, in, you've probably guessed, Ruskin Park.

All equipment is supplied, e.g. gloves, shovels, brushes, PM me for further details.

:D

Under no circumstance would I let my daughter pick up rubbish. It is quite possible that she could pick up a used needle or dog dirt and catch something. I will not allow her to pick it up. We pay enough council tax for the city to be immaculate. Maybe we should stop wasting it on pther things.

Plenty drawing social security or in the knick who can do that.
Leave the kids out of it i'd say.

Originally posted by halevan
The solution is to make whoever is dropping the litter to pick it up, whether it is adults or schoolchildren. People need educating and teaching not to drop litter in the first place.

For too long this problem has been ignored, and it has been allowed to continue unchallenged, why? when scores of new litter bins have been provided dont the citizens of this city use them?
litterbugs should be executed without trial

Originally posted by Phanerothyme
litterbugs should be executed without trial

Stop taking the p*** Phanerothyme

While I think it's a good idea to teach schoolkids about litter, I think getting them to pick up 'other peoples' litter is wrong. I wholeheartedly agree with the idea of using the unemployed and especially our criminals !

What?!
Kids throw a good proportion of the litter. I've witnessed it time and again.
It will not do them any harm to help tidy the litter around their schools!
a) because most of them throw it there (maybe not your darlings, but most everyone elses)
b) because there's nothing wrong with teaching your children that rolling up their sleeves to make their area better for everyone (including themselves) is a good thing.
c) because teaching your children that they don't have to lift a finger for their community (because that's demeaning and should be left to criminals) is BAD THING.

Who are all of these millions of unemployed benefits recipients that I keep seeing reference to?
We have the lowest unemployment levels for donkeys years and there have never been more people in work as there are now.
Do try and stay in the 21st century when posting on here, it helps keep things accurate.
We were always made to pick up litter when we were kids and to misuse a quote on a totally different topic "It never did us any harm".

Could it be the case that those parents who wont ever let their kids take part in community activity to the benefit of theneighbourhood - like litter picking, are the same ones who bring up their kids to be selfish and self-centred, growing up to be anti-social and into graffitti and bullying etc?

CONTROVERSIAL? moi?

x

Phew...I was beginning to feel like a lone voice in the wilderness...:lol:

Nothing wrong with Kids picking up litter. Only thing I worry about is the area in which they pick it up.

What if the area has been used by junkies and these kids pick up a needle.. or worse, get stabbed by the needle whilepicking it up?

Very careful supervision, education and correct attire would be very useful, although some schools wouldn't be able to afford such things.

I stick with my original comment, benefit claimants should be the ones picking up rubbish while claiming!

Originally posted by DaBouncer
Nothing wrong with Kids picking up litter. Only thing I worry about is the area in which they pick it up.

What if the area has been used by junkies and these kids pick up a needle.. or worse, get stabbed by the needle whilepicking it up?

Very careful supervision, education and correct attire would be very useful, although some schools wouldn't be able to afford such things.

I stick with my original comment, benefit claimants should be the ones picking up rubbish while claiming!

Hmm, surely they'd qualify as employed then, and could claim at least minimum wage and union entitlements. At which point you are looking at a bigger council tax bill.

Kids should be using tools to pick up litter, just like council cleaning operatives. No idea what it's called - a 75cm long arm with a grasping claw on the end.

Litter is really bad round by us, and it is mostly kids; but on the other hand, there's only one litterbin outside the shop, which fills up within a day of being emptied.

We used to go on school litterpicks on local beaches, as well as the town, several times a term. Made for an afternoon out, and prizes for the heaviest sacks (contents checked for sand and rocks) - what's wrong with that? It gives the children a chance to really feel they have contributed to solving a big problem, and it means they have the moral high ground over littering adults, which makes them feel grown-up.

I pick litter up now if I see the person dropping it. I don't say anything, but make sure, one way or the other, that they notice.

Sometimes they even say "thank you" !? lol.

Originally posted by Phanerothyme
Hmm, surely they'd qualify as employed then, and could claim at least minimum wage and union entitlements. At which point you are looking at a bigger council tax bill.

No they wouldn't therefor be classed as employed because:
A) They would only do this for part time hours during the week.
B) It would be classed as community service and not employment.

Schools and other community groups receive free help and support, free use of litterpickers, free gloves, free bags, and sharps boxes (for adult use only). All you have to do is ask.
Rangers, Street Rangers, Streetforce, Bernard Road. Contact any of these.
All schools in Sheffield are aware of this service, as should be most community groups.
So get out there and make your area sparkly and lovely!

Originally posted by DaBouncer
No they wouldn't therefor be classed as employed because:
A) They would only do this for part time hours during the week.
B) It would be classed as community service and not employment.

I thought Community Service was a punishment for criminals.

Even part time workers have rights, and your JA is reduced even if you do part time voluntary work. (well mine was at any rate).

Community Service can be done on New Deal (it isn't just a punishment for criminals at all).
Yes true part time workers have rights (including minimum wage), but this would be a government project designed to give claimants at least some work experience (even if it's only picking up litter and cleaning graffitti).

Bear in mind this isn't in place, but I would support a government who made it so.