Rubbish Poll

[Mogthemackem]

I know this might seem a strange thread but I need people to be as honest as they possibly can. I'm just interested to see how many people at one time (be it child or adult) used to just throw their rubbish away in the sea/pier or wherever rather than taking it home or putting it in bin not realising the damage it could do but have now changed their ways either because of the people they fish with, what they have been taught or even as a result of this forum. I know there's a lot of young people I teach who get a big shock when I tell them the impact it can have (which they will hopefully keep for life) and just wondered if people on here have had the same experience. My mate (even though he's 29 and fished most of his life) threw rubbish away every time he fished but due to nagging by me and even me picking his rubbish up after him now takes it back himself. Whether or not I shamed him into it I don't really care. Should make an interesting read if people are honest enough. Luckily the first time my dad took me out he read the riot act so I can honestly say I've never done it. I have seen novices to experienced anglers leave loads of rubbish and very recently a club member (although I wont name club) leave bundles of line on the end of Roker pier which came up with 5 weights he took home but for some reason didn't take line home (if you're a member you will know who you are!) so obviously the deliberate ignorance, pure arrogance or in some small cases innocent ignorance is still out there on a massive scale.

[The Plum]

ITS ONE THING THAT MAKES ME SICK ,REaLY are some stinking scumbags who dont even bother throw it in the sea they just leave it where they left it,i take me rubbish home in a carrier bag and ive done it from over 100 miles many a time.you get out the car put it in ya wheelie bin how easys that ,and the ones that **** in the doorway on the end of the pier are my next sickener ,just do it over the side and ya not walkin in folks **** and smelling it all day ,its these who get things stopped ,but they dont care not like me

[curtis]

My lad likes to fish at the rat house but sometimes we just turn around and walk off. The place realy is a health hazard, i can see the council shutting the place down. Its not just the kids theres some obviously experienced anglers leaving a mess to.

[pondlife]

tip

believe it or not, you can actually here the rats behing you in the yatch clubs area scampering around. methinks they must get hold of a canny bit left over bait. come to think of it, theirs always bait left lying around on the end of roker pier, bits macky strip, old worm and squid, no rats but a health hazard when you stand on it when your trying to cast out. takes seconds to lob it over the side (bait only, no litter).

[basswrasse2]

there was a report in the sunderland echo a few weeks ago saying they are trying to make it easier for anglers to get on the ratty i can't see them closeing it off they are going to move the fence so you can get on the old peir easier.If could just stop the youngins from making fires and taking there rubbish away

[bozjc]

i take mine off with me and dump it in a bin. i try to clean up around me too.

[paulthespark]

what i do is throw all biodegraderble stuff into the sea i.e newspaper that the rag and lug are wrapped in, any leftover bait for the fishies and crabs, and the rest i take back home and dispose of it there , and never ever leave any plastic products or old line on the pier or shore, iv'e seen to many of them little seabirds , i think they are called turnstones with their legs half amputated with line wrapped round them totally unacceptable.

[Iva-Cod-on]

I cant stand people who leave Sh1T3 everytime they go fishin just because they cant be ar5ed tidy up the conclusion that I come too is it must show the state of the inside of there Heads!!!! I once saw a cracking notice on a golf course (I know golf oops! learnt error of ways lads) "IF IT FITS IN YOUR BAG WENT ITS FULL IT'LL FIT WHEN ITS EMPTY!!" and just a little way I've thought about solving the disgarded line is to string them up by the kn@ckers with it just for five mins think this would sort it!! Forgot to say I'm pleased to hear others feel the same keep up the good work lads!!

[seanyrooroo]

iv'e seen to many of them little seabirds , i think they are called turnstones with their legs half amputated with line wrapped round them totally unacceptable.

Dunlin mate

[PaulGH]

Though, on a semi related subject one thing that really grips my s*** even more than litter/rubbish is the monumental **** ****s who set fire to everything that's either bolted down or not, if you're that cold either get some proper thermals or go home.

As for peeing over the edge on the pier, not always the best option I hate to concede, if the wind is gusting from changing directions you'll likely cover yourself in your own urine, a sheltered spot is often the only option and unfortunately the doorway does get used (as disgusting as that is) for that reason.

There is a saying often used by freshwater game and coarse anglers (though probably more widely used) which goes 'leave nothing but your footsteps', I hate picking up other peoples crap, through Durham on one stretch me and a friend have taken half a dozen carrier bags of other peoples crap back to the bin on the main road, then a few days later spoke to another angler who took another couple of bags away, the people who leave this crap (usually beer cans featuring) are vermin.

Bits of fishing line I pull up, find wrapped around trees whatever I don't always take away with me for practical reasons some balls of line are either massive or mixed with bits of seaweed and rope etc, in these cases I wrap the line(bundle) around my hand then snip the line up using my scissors into 3 to 4 inch bits the resulting trimmings aren't likely to entangle anything and is far better than simply dumping the line back in the water or even stuffing it into the nearest bin. I do the same with line I strip from my reels at home before putting it in the bin, not ideal but in an ideal world I wouldn't have to deal with other peoples discarded/lost line.

[scaley]

ITS ONE THING THAT MAKES ME SICK ,REaLY are some stinking scumbags who dont even bother throw it in the sea they just leave it where they left it,i take me rubbish home in a carrier bag and ive done it from over 100 miles many a time.you get out the car put it in ya wheelie bin how easys that ,and the ones that **** in the doorway on the end of the pier are my next sickener ,just do it over the side and ya not walkin in folks **** and smelling it all day ,its these who get things stopped ,but they dont care not like me

Agree with that Plum,you look at the people who walk along Roker Pier these days ,a lot of foreign students and there families,local people with there families including small children,you look at these people taking pictures of one another with the lighthouse/sea in the background,happy smilie faces,then they get to the end and the nightshift has left a couple of ginger sailors in the doorway the place is rank with smell of stale pish,the bunker you cannot compare it to a public toilet because there is no disinfectant,the pish and Sh@t will stay there until the sea gets away,there seems to be a lack of pride in the areas we fish and have done for generations.
As for rubbish,paper goes in the drink including sraps of bait,anything else goes home with me and the missus confuses me with recycling propaganda

[treeboa]

any bait and food not wanted goes in the sea, wrappers and such are in my bag for dumping in the bin, like most i have had the occasional wind blown news paper or plastic bag blown into the water, sign of the times that litter and junk affects most fishing marks including freshwater, its not just anglers either, seen a lot of fly tipping which is a worse problem in my opinion, especially when its asbestos been dumped

[Mogthemackem]

Some good points here guys and it's great to see that the majority do take rubbish home with them. I was on there pier yesterday when some unfortunate guys had to clean out the lighthouse and the looks on their faces told exactly how it smelt in their as a result of people peeing in the doorway. The buker is a very productive place to fish and good shelter from the wind but there's very few brave or sane enough to fish there now which anyone who goes on the pier and smells what it's like can understand. I see council workers walking up the pier with plastic bags clearing rubbish at mackerel season but never see them in the winter. Does anyone have good contacts with the council who would listen to some kind of petition to get signs and preferably bins put on the pier. I know this would mean a bit extra work for the workers going and emptying the bins but surely this is better for conservation and our environment. I very much doubt they will go up there with disinfectant sprays but if they done some tests and see how contaminated the end was it could even be shut down to the public as a health hazzard. I'm sure that beacause the pier is such a great fishing mark at times that noone would want this. The only way we can stop it is for EVERYONE to be responsible for their own actions. People get heavy fines for emptying themselves on the street so why should it be ok to do it there? People have to understand they are shooting themselves in the foot by seriously risking reducing their fishing spots and killing off the wildlife they are trying to catch. Anyone can pm me with info and I will do my best to get things rolling as have contacts with the EA. This also includes all public walkways and not just roker pier. Cheers

[johnf]

In my opinion the "decent" angler is outnumbered by 5-1 by people who don't give a sh*t where they dump stuff. And its not just anglers. The same type of person chucks rubbish out of car windows, from tab ends to McDonalds bags. Its the 21st century (I'm alright Jack)society, there will be no solution.

[mark]

Mcdonalds should be made to pay a litter tax, I live over 20 miles from the nearest one, out in the middle of nowhere, and regularly there are little piles of their boxes, bags and cups dumped at the side of the road

there is unfortunately a part of society that sees rubbish as "what the coonsil's paid for" and dump there crap everywhere

been visiting ardnamurchan for years, pretty remote place, but the last couple of years I've noticed there's a lot more anglers up there, I never used to see a soul. and guess what, same story. Be it the rocks that are a fair hike from anywhere or the tiny pier in Kilchoan

I now believe that its far from a minority that leave their crap behind, its the minority that don't

as for taking a pee off the pier. Last time I was on shields pier and have not set foot on the place since, witnessed someone drop his pants and take a dump behind the light at the end. his mates all thought it was funny

wouldn't have been so bad if he'd kicked it over the side, but no, it just got left there