SCOTLAND'S motorways have been described as a "national disgrace" after it was revealed 50 tonnes of litter are dumped on verges in the south-west of the country every month.
In one year alone enough rubbish is collected from the motorways in south west Scotland to fill two public swimming pools, according to Transport Scotland's operating company Amey.
It has launched a campaign to drive home the message to motorists
that they must take their litter home with them rather than leaving it on the sides of the M8, M73, M74, M80 and M77.
Willie Watson, Amey's unit manager for south-west Scotland, said slip roads in particular end up becoming unsightly.
"Litter is a real issue across the network but motorway slip roads often bear the brunt as drivers slow up and toss their fast food wrappers, crisp packets, apple cores and juice bottles from their cars," he said.
"With the volume of vehicles on the network every day the quantities quickly stack up. It's an ongoing battle to keep the routes clear and looking tidy and we really need drivers' help to achieve it.
"Not only is littering unsightly and dangerous if blown into other vehicles, it can also be harmful to wildlife."
Motorist Jim Finnie wrote to Transport Scotland, describing the roads as a "national disgrace". He described one journey, saying: "The entire westbound verge was strewn with the most horrific assortment of shredded garbage that looked like giant confetti from a wedding in hell."
Every year it costs hundreds of thousands of pounds to clear away the rubbish from motorway verges across Scotland.
Scott Lees, Transport Scotland's area manager said: "Clearing large volumes of needless litter on the trunk road network is a burden on the public purse and on the resources of our operating companies."
Local authorities have the power to issue £50 on-the-spot fines to any motorists caught throwing away rubbish.
But Jim Gilmour, strategic support manager for Amey, said the litter problem has not improved over the years.
"It's very unsightly, very costly, and it's dangerous," he said. "It's a shocking indictment on the people that drive or are passengers. They have an attitude that it's perfectly acceptable to throw litter out of the car. I think it's ignorant. They wouldn't like it dumped in their back garden."
John Summers, chief executive of Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: "The most annoying thing about road litter is that it is wholly preventable – all motorists have to do is take their litter home, or use a bin."
Michael Carswell, who works for Amey picking up litter from the verges of motorways, said: "It's unbelievable the amount of waste that drivers throw out of their windows. I can be out blitzing an area and almost as fast as I'm collecting it up more is gathering. The slip roads are usually the worst."
IN NUMBERS13.5 tonnes of litter collected from …
300 miles of motorway in the south-west of Scotland weekly.
12 Number of family-sized cars that could be filled with the litter collected each week.
620 Tonnes of litter disposed of every year, which is enough to fill two public swimming pools.
130,000 Pieces of litter picked up from roadsides across the whole of Scotland every day.
54 Percentage of people in a recent Keep Scotland Beautiful survey who admitted to dropping litter.
£400,000 Total amount of money spent on clearing away rubbish from the motorways and some of Scotland's major A roads each year.
