By Carmelo Garcia – Local Democracy Reporter
There are calls for vehicle licence plate numbers to be printed on the bags and packaging of fast food sold at drive-through restaurants in a bid to tackle littering in Gloucester.
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen-branded rubbish strewn along St Oswalds Road was called out by civic chiefs earlier this week.
And a city resident has suggested customers’ vehicle licence plate numbers should be printed on their takeaway bags in a bid to dissuade littering.
This way the authorities could track down those responsible and hit them with a fine.
Leslie Dee, from Longlevens, said he sees people going along the Golden Valley in their vehicles and they “just open the windows and chuck it out.
“It really annoys me when people do that,” he said.
“I see people sitting in car parks eating their food from the fast food restaurants who have got bins a few yards away but they are so bloody lazy they open the window and drop it on the floor.
“We suggest when people go into a drive-through that their vehicle registration number is taken and it is printed on the back of the packaging or bag. It wouldn’t cost a lot. Then if they dump it they can trace it back to whoever is littering.”
Councillor Rebecca Trimnell (LD, Westgate), who called out the “appalling” litter left in St Oswalds Road, said she would back such a proposal.
She said: “It’s a wonderful idea! I would be in support of such a measure as clearly those who are careful with how they dispose of litter wouldn’t have a problem with their number plate being printed on the packaging.”
Spokesperson for Popeyes, said: “This is a matter that we are taking very seriously and are working to increase the number of litter picks already in place. We are working closely with the council to see what can be done to increase the number of bins in the surrounding area to ensure any litter from the Retail Park is disposed of correctly.”