What should be done to tackle litter on Bournemouth beach?

The Daily Echo asked readers what measures could be introduced to tackle the issue which occurs during the summer months. 

Here are some of the ideas people posted on the Bournemouth Echo’s Facebook page.

1. Remove all the bins and save money on emptying them. People brought the litter, they can take it away again. Employ a litter enforcer and issue £100 fines for each occurrence of dropping litter. Self funding.

2. More bins, on spot fines, and refuse collectors armed with tasers for those non-compliant and troublesome individuals.

3. Don't clean it up for a month and see if people still want to come.

Read more: 'Absolute carnage': Residents fume at litter left across Bournemouth beach

4. Put big 'Leave No Trace' signs up on each section of the beach showing pictures of what it looks like when people leave rubbish all over it, shame them into making sure they don't do the same, sometimes people need to see a visual before they realise they're idiots! Also litter wardens on the beach to spot anyone leaving rubbish and make them go back and pick it up or get a fine, the cost of doing that has to be cheaper than the clean up costs daily. Finally a request for beach goers to help keep it clean, if they spot someone about to leave rubbish then say something, don't just let them walk off and leave it there! How many people are there on the beach when it's hot? Loads, too many people don't care because it wasn't their rubbish, and they probably don't live here, maybe twice a week don't pick it up, so when they try to go to the beach the next day they'll see why they need to pick it up!! Remind them, if they bring it, they have to take it away again!

5. More bins which are emptied more than once a day by the council. Patrols to encourage those spotted leaving rubbish behind to take their rubbish with them. Those who refuse should get fined and be given a mandatory number of 8 hours community service with each fine to help clean the beaches.

Litter left on Bournemouth beach last week on hottest day of the year so far. Footage by Amy McBrayne 

Read more: Shocking extent of litter left on Bournemouth Beach on hottest day of the year

6. For every big bag of litter collected you get a free day’s deck chair if you collect a set amount you get a beach hut for the day or vouchers for something. Get 2 quid off your parking if you return 2 bags of rubbish. Name and shame people caught littering. I hate to say it but it may be the only way to incentivise these people to pick up their litter so everyone can enjoy the beach as it was intended

7. Litter patrols with bin bags handed out and people told the bin locations. Also people told about fines if they leave rubbish behind.

Read more: 'Utter ruin': Is there an answer to the litter problem on our beaches?

8. Get the lazy people to start taking their rubbish home rather than leaving it on the beach.

9. Stop selling single-use plastic cups, bottles and food packaging.

10. It has nothing to do with the number of bins or distance. Is all about Education. A great example for it is Japan they do not have bins everywhere but the people carrying their rubbish till they would find a bin and it is not as easy as here to find one. They should have people that patrol for it and give tickets. Treat them mean keep them keen.

11. It's not for the council to do anymore, it's about the human race having some self respect and taking their litter home, or put it in the many bins that are provided.

12. You take it to beach. You take it home. It’s not rocket science. Rubbish is light and we should only leave footprints on our beautiful beach. So sad that litter was all over sand.

13. Leave it there. Honestly, anything above the waterline just leave. You’d only need to do it for a couple of days in summer for people to get the message and start realising what a dump it looks when they don’t bother to clear up after themselves. Year after year we litter pick and pay for overnight cleanups and nothing changes. Try something different.

14. In Oz they have ‘meet and greet’ in the car park. Issue a rubbish bag to use and say ‘have a great day but please respect the beach’ ….. fines in place for rubbish left … they need to be visual and patrol the beach… we all know what the lifeguards look life, should be a uniform to look for.

15. Litter pickers that are paid. Every festival I go to they pay for litter pickers.

16. Start fining people heavily ...Education has clearly failed some people as has common sense and decency.... Shortening their pockets maybe a language they understand

17. I’m afraid it’s the generation of today who were dragged up and not educated enough to appreciate their environment. I’m old enough to have walked the prom from Bournemouth to Boscombe or Boscombe to Hengistbury Head on a Sunday morning and not seen any rubbish or full rubbish bins but this was back some fifty years ago when we didn’t have so many ‘visitors’. Having tourists shouldn’t make a difference but maybe leaving the rubbish for a few days might wake them up but then spoils it for the tourists and locals who do clean up after themselves, just a sad situation all round. Bournemouth was famous for its golden beaches …

18. Just look around the streets, people must throw it from cars and the fly tipping is so much worse. Catch them punish them hard, name and shame, and make them clean the streets. We are too soft on them people seem to have no respect for their country

19. Put bins on the sand

20. Loud megaphones along the beach; "Take your rubbish home with you". 

21. Every bag of rubbish collected you get free drinks or vouchers to spend at a shop or money.