A truck driver who litter picks on his breaks has slammed other lorry drivers who chuck “disgusting” rubbish out of their vehicles which “gives the industry a bad name”.
Martin Burrows, an avid litter picker and HPV driver, set up ‘Truckers Keeping Britain Tidy’ over five years ago to create an online community for truckers who clean up the roads whilst on shift.
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He estimates that around 20,000 bags of litter have been picked up between the 3,500 members of the Facebook group, where not only do they “do something good for the environment”, they also improve their mental state.
However, Burrows, an ex-forces veteran, states that whilst lots of truckers are happy to do their part to stop litter from blighting our roads, there are some that “give drivers a bad name”.
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He told GB News: “There’s a lot of drivers that think it’s acceptable to throw rubbish out of the window, leave a bag on the side or chuck it into the bush.”
“It’s giving truck drivers a bad name.”
Burrows said that sadly truckers have become known for chucking ‘drivertiser’ - bottles filled with urine - out of their lorries.
“The countryside is littered with plastic urine-filled bottles," he said. "And then you’ve got the other extreme - poo bags. It’s just horrendous.”
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In November, more than 12 tonnes of litter was collected from a busy road between Coventry and Stratford-upon-Avon.
The litter was recovered from an 11 mile stretch of the A46, including the central reservation and lay-bys.
A heavy goods vehicle (HGV) driver told GB News last month that the conditions of the lay-bys and roads near junctions and roundabouts are “disgusting”.
“Litter is just chucked out of the vehicle’s windows and there is rubbish everywhere," he warned.
The driver added: “But, if rules aren’t enforced then it won’t make any difference. It’s a mentality of ‘let someone else tidy it up’. People have no pride in this country.”
Burrows said that truck drivers are “vital for this country”. He told the People’s Channel: “The only thing we don’t deliver is babies!”
Discussing lorry drivers who litter-pick, Burrows said that there are more than you think. “It seems to be a phenomenon like we don’t do that but we do,” he said.
“We’re human beings at the end of the day. It’s just the minority that are giving the majority a bad name.”
Speaking to all motorists who choose to litter, Burrows said: “Just think about your actions. Think of what your actions are causing to the wildlife, the area we live in.
“Councils will shut down lay bys if they think there is too much unsociable behaviour there. They’ll shut them down so they don't have to clean them.”
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