While cheese and onion crisps might take just minutes to devour, a Fife litter picker has shown how the discarded rubbish can lie around for decades.
Dunfermline woman Jessica Smith has shared pictures of her most surprising finds after a year picking litter on the B9156 Limekilns Road in Fife.
The rubbish found on the busy stretch of road includes crisp packets and cans dating back to the early 1980s.
And despite decades of wind, rain and snow, the images show how much of the litter remains largely intact decades later.
Jessica has so far collected over 70 bags from the road after starting her mission last year.
“I drive along the B9156 frequently and was getting annoyed by the amount of rubbish spoiling this nice country road.
“So I decided to be the change I wanted to see and clear it myself,” she explained.
Since February 2021, the Fife mum has found 19 crisp packets dating back over 30 years, including one from the early 1980s.
Disposed of incorrectly, crisp packets can take over 75 years to decompose, while aluminum cans can litter the environment for up to 500 years.
One of the pictures Jessica shared, a discarded packet of Walkers cheese and onion, features a picture of Victoria Beckham.
The Spice Girl was featured on the snack as part of a promotional campaign in 1997.
Other rubbish picked up on the road include a packet of Tudor Crisps with a best before date of October 1993 and an empty Hula Hoops bag with a promotion dated 1987.
Jessica has also unearthed aluminium cans dating back over 30 years, including a tin of Tennent’s 80 shilling superior ale.
As well as making the area look back, Jessica said Fifer’s disposing of their rubbish like this were leaving an “embarrassing legacy” for future generations to uncover.
Jessica added: “On one pick I came across a historic dumping ground from the early 90s.
“It was interesting to see all the old packaging including a carrier bag from a supermarket called Templeton which hasn’t been in business for decades.
“Despite having been half-buried for so long, it was all still in really good condition,” she said.
The WWF says plastic bags pose one of the greatest impacts to wildlife.
While they only make up a small percentage of litter, plastic bags don’t decompose and instead break up into ever smaller pieces – known as microplastics.
These can pose a danger to wildlife, as Jessica has discovered in Fife: “Not only does it look bad but it’s also harmful to the environment and wildlife.
“I have sadly found a few dead mice trapped in crisp packets and other discarded packaging.”
While people might mindlessly litter thinking they won’t have a big impact, Jessica said she’d urge people to go litter picking to see how quickly rubbish accumulates.
“I would invite people to have a go at litter picking a small area on a regular basis to see how much and how quickly those one pieces of litter accumulate,” she said.
Jessica volunteers as part of Fife Street Champions, a group of locals determined to help clean up the Kingdom.
Fife Street Champions keep a tally of how many bags of rubbish their members collect, with volunteers picking up more than 14,000 bags of litter last year.
“With the Fife Street Champions keeping tally of bags collected by members, it’s easy to see how all the individual efforts add up and have such a positive impact on the environment and our communities,” Jessica added.
