r/Glasgow Tools

Title
Author	smellmafishfinger
Comment	I get tired of the "why can't we be like Germany?" meme, as you know, we aren't Germans. We have to start from the baseline of where we are at and aim at gradual improvement. I'd rather look around for a start and say- can we be a bit cleaner than Newcastle or Edinburgh or Liverpool or Manchester. And go from there. And by the way, I doubt we are much more litter-strewn than those cities. Culture plays a role. Glasgow has had a litter issue for generations- just look at the old pics from the 1970s, 80s. The place was an absolute shithole. Then, it seemed to me it got better during the 90s and 00s but it has been going downhill since 2008 (so really, I'm comparing eras of investment and austerity) But also, people's consumption habits have changed, we consume a load more, particularly portable snacks etc. Just think of coffee cups for an example. In the late 90s there were a handful of places you could get a latte or a cappucinno, and Starbucks was exotic. Now every corner has a place you can buy a takeaway coffee and a cake. And of course right now thats all anyone can do for a social life. So that generates litter. I'm rambling but it;s a complex issue and simply cherrypicking an allegedly clean city and using it to compare doesn't work. You need context and history and a more holistic view, in my opinion. Also just pick some litter up yourself.
Reddit Link	https://www.reddit.com/r/glasgow/comments/lzr9s9/national_antilittering_campaign/gq50214/
Created	Sun 7th Mar 2021 9:05pm
Status	normal ()

I get tired of the "why can't we be like Germany?" meme, as you know, we aren't Germans. We have to start from the baseline of where we are at and aim at gradual improvement. I'd rather look around for a start and say- can we be a bit cleaner than Newcastle or Edinburgh or Liverpool or Manchester. And go from there. And by the way, I doubt we are much more litter-strewn than those cities.

Culture plays a role. Glasgow has had a litter issue for generations- just look at the old pics from the 1970s, 80s. The place was an absolute shithole. Then, it seemed to me it got better during the 90s and 00s but it has been going downhill since 2008 (so really, I'm comparing eras of investment and austerity) But also, people's consumption habits have changed, we consume a load more, particularly portable snacks etc. Just think of coffee cups for an example. In the late 90s there were a handful of places you could get a latte or a cappucinno, and Starbucks was exotic. Now every corner has a place you can buy a takeaway coffee and a cake. And of course right now thats all anyone can do for a social life. So that generates litter.

I'm rambling but it;s a complex issue and simply cherrypicking an allegedly clean city and using it to compare doesn't work. You need context and history and a more holistic view, in my opinion. Also just pick some litter up yourself.