Amount of litter originating from drive-thru has dramatically increased.

While the owners of McDonald’s might claim they are not responsible for where people put the waste from their products, the reality is that since their expansion, packaging originating from their premises has increasingly been discarded on to country roads surrounding Burgess Hill.

Unfortunately drive thru outlets increase the amount of waste that is produced within a car. Those with a total disregard for the environment upon leaving built up areas, such as Burgess Hill, see an area of countryside devoid of houses and therefore witnesses. To these green areas go their rubbish which apart from being depressing to look at, can have devastating effects on wildlife.

Every few months I clean up a 100 metre stretch along the verge of Ockley Lane, just south of Burgess Hill and since the McDonald’s expansion there has been a noticeable increase in their packaging.

It would be nice if the McDonald’s owners whose profits will have increased since the expansion could do something to prevent this depressing issue. In this age of corporate responsibility surely it is not adequate to pass the buck on to others.

They could help in numerous ways - either through signage at the takeaway encouraging proper disposal, ensuring all packaging is rapidly degradable, sponsoring Keep Tidy signs around roads leaving Burgess Hill or organising litter pickups.

James Wright

Ockley Lane

Hassocks