Litter bugs in need of lesson

Apologies, but I'm going to have a whinge today.

First a positive: While driving south on SH2 from Masterton this week, I was pleased to see someone out picking up rubbish on the roadside.

But the lone worker, accompanied by a safety truck, certainly had plenty to pick up.

In fact, if they'd worked all week I don't think they could have picked up all the paper, plastic bags, soft drink cans, fast food wrappers and other litter - including what appeared to be whole bags of rubbish tossed into the grassy ditch.

I'm confused by this - why does someone who actually goes to the trouble to bag their rubbish tidily in a plastic bag then throw it out their car window?

Actually, I'm confused by all the rubbish. What goes through the minds of people who toss their empty soft drink bottles out of their windows?

What's so inconvenient about keeping the bottle in the car until they get to the next stop, that they just have to eject it immediately?

I have the same confusion over people who throw lit cigarettes from their car window (yes, they do sometimes blow in the window of the vehicle following). Do they think the cigarette extinguishes itself and ceases to exist once it's no longer in sight?

Part two of my whinge is about that single rubbish picker-upper, and his very daunting task.

There are a large number of people sentenced to community service in this region. Perhaps a few more of them could be directed towards litter pick-up.

Litter attracts litter, and if we keep our roadsides clean, it may help send the message that they're not rubbish bins.