THE roads are strewn with litter, particularly plastic bottles, take-away cartons and “energy” drinks cans. Much of the plastic washes into culverts and is then conducted via burns and rivers to the sea, contributing to a pressing world problem.

It seems that ignorant people will persist in dropping litter and throwing it from car windows. Perhaps the threat of a significant financial penalty will cause them to behave. Technology might provide an answer. Most litter will have been scanned by sales terminals. It may be possible to extend the capability of scanning whereby, at the time it senses the bar code on the item, it imprints it with a “microdot” with a unique code for the retailer and time of the sale.

Retailers would be required to upload their daily transactional data as to times of sales, items and card or phone details (if payment was by these methods) to a central “hub”. This would be automated and the data would remain confidential.

There would need to be developed the technology to scan an item found as litter, perhaps by enabling mobile phones to be the scanner. Council staff, or groups such as countryside rangers could go on litter picks with such scanning technology, and upload results to the central hub. Software would unite the item with the seller and the buyer’s card or phone details, if a match were found.

The buyer’s account could be automatically debited by a sum, say £25. This income might be divided, with some going to underwrite the costs of maintaining the system and some to reward the finders. Those guilty of littering would promptly learn to dispose of their rubbish in a proper manner, while litter-picking groups would have access to a good revenue stream at least for as long as the problem persists.

Ken Gow,

Bridge of Canny,

Banchory.