Corner property suffering from littering

ajgisme · July 2023

Hi there,

We live in a corner property and because of that we regularly get people throwing their litter into our garden. Vodka bottles, wrappers, reciepts, one time a full bag of rubbish.

I'd love some thoughts on how best to stop this via some smart gardening. So far I'm thinking of either trellis or some large bushes. The main considerations with using bushes to solve this, is that there a currently a couple conifer trees and other random shrubs lining that wall already so it's a very shaded area. What grows in shaded areas that could work here? Would we need to cut down the trees?
I'm also aware it can take ages for things to grow so am wondering about fast growing options.

Something like this I think could work well at putting people off litering:
https://www.paramountplants.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/pleached-trees-holland-park.jpg

Dovefromabove · July 2023

Is visibility for drivers negotiating the corner a potential issue?

rowlandscastle444 · July 2023

We live in an end property, and used to get people throwing rubbish over the low fence. Even had two young men crash through it whilst fighting - and we definitely didn't want THEM in the garden.
I tried improving the fence, to no avail.
We eventually hit on the idea of pyracantha - bee friendly, bird friendly, and most importantly, full of thorns.
It's taken a couple of years to grow, and we still get the occasional bottle stuffed in the hedge, but it's been worth it.
Bought the plants from Hedges Direct. Even put a double row of hedging on one side, because that's where the prevailing wind comes from.
Obviously, people can still lob things over, but they don't.
I don't know how much space you have, or why people throw their rubbish in your garden. But a thorny deterrent is an option, and probably better for the environment than a brick wall.
Oh, and by the way, our front is north facing, and the side is west facing. It has grown well, but we've had to be patient. Cheaper than a brick wall, and in my eyes, it looks nicer.

Fairygirl · July 2023

You have my sympathy - I get the same problem, although some of them come round to the rear of my property and use the bin.
I have various very established trees, including Blackthorn and Pyracantha, on the corner, but it makes no difference - they still chuck stuff in.
I'm not sure anything will really work. Thorny stuff, in theory, will stop them getting close enough, but it won't stop them lobbing stuff over. I have two of those 'boxes' on my boundary - one for the postmen, and one which is a cable/leccy type one. They chuck their dog shit bags in behind there too.
Aren't humans just delightful?

rowlandscastle444 · July 2023

Someone down the road from us, has a six-foot high solid wooden fence facing the pavement. I think it's become a challenge to the rubbish-throwing types, because so much goes over. Including an old metal garage door!! I don't know why the perpetrator didn't just lean the old door up against the fence. It must have taken some effort to get it over.
Even lobbing it over our hedge would have been easier - but I'm glad they didn't.

KT53 · July 2023

My in-laws have a similar problem with a corner property. They regularly have to pull cans, takeaway cartons etc out of their hedge. I'm not sure there is a solution, at least not a legal option.

JennyJ · July 2023

We have the same problem with takeaway wrappings, bottles etc being pushed into the hedge on the corner part of our property. Not sure why, maybe people think it's OK because it isn't directly in front of the house. Once I caught someone in the act when I was on the other side of the hedge doing some gardening and they just mumbled something about thinking it was waste ground there. Who the hell do they think cuts the hedge, mows the grass and plants the flowers?

SalixGold · July 2023

... and why would you litter on waste ground?

JennyJ · July 2023

Indeed.

Fairygirl · July 2023

Doesn't excuse them shoving their rubbish in there though @JennyJ - they shouldn't be shoving it anywhere except in a bin.

The attitude of people to their rubbish is what appals me. My mum used to tell us off for having rubbish in our jacket pockets, and I could never understand that. Surely better to put it there than throw it somewhere if there wasn't a bin? [It was because she had various problems which we didn't know about back then.] I vowed that if I had children, I would never tell them off for bringing home their rubbish, because that was obviously right if there wasn't a bin to put it in. They've never forgotten it, and I'm proud of the fact that they would never drop litter anywhere.

rowlandscastle444 · July 2023

JennyJ said:

We have the same problem with takeaway wrappings, bottles etc being pushed into the hedge on the corner part of our property. Not sure why, maybe people think it's OK because it isn't directly in front of the house. Once I caught someone in the act when I was on the other side of the hedge doing some gardening and they just mumbled something about thinking it was waste ground there. Who the hell do they think cuts the hedge, mows the grass and plants the flowers?

I once caught a group of six youths up our drive, "redecorating" our side wall. They were trapped, and had nowhere to run. Okay, I'm 6ft 2in, and was angry. They were frightened and tongue-tied. Didn't know what to do.
They have never returned.
@JennyJ I just can't understand the mentality of these people. We maintain the drive, paint the wall, but still there are people who want to make work for others. No-one should have to clear up rubbish left by others, or repair walls or fences deliberately damaged.

Corner property suffering from littering

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