McDonalds in the woods

A few weeks back, around New Year we went out late on a very cold, damp morning, walking in a strange linear plantation woods between here and Wool, (about 3 miles from us).  It is owned by the Forestry Commission.  I say strange because it is a corridor of trees atop a windy hill.  There is not much breadth to it, so you have to walk along a straight path, no serpentine meanderings that you find in older more established woodlands.

There is a small car park area and the usual Commission barrier gate with a path at the side for walkers to get into the plantation and walk.  It is very secluded, a small single track style road, up a hill, not much traffic.  The car park is a tip.  Rubbish all over the main parking area and strewn in the bushes, the ditches and around the path area.  Mostly plastic bottles, cans, McDonalds wrappers, plastic bags and so on.  Made me laugh, McDonalds in the woods?!  I mean it is about 10 miles to the nearest Mac 'restaurant'. 

So after a long virus and other distractions, I decided on Tuesday this week to go out (another cold morning, but very BRIGHT!) and pick some litter.  I felt so revved up about it, enough of sitting and watching and complaining!  Action!  The full moon this month has been so energising, activating for me.  I feel a new sense of drive and focus and feel that I am starting to activate things that have been too long on the back burner.
I wanted to do some voluntary work, so why not litter picking?

Ok it's not sexy or social (lone picking isn't anyway) but it felt so good.  Until I had filled the large sack and realised that I needed to find somewhere to dump most of it as the recyclables were beyond cleaning for recycling.  Ew.  I looked around Wool for a large enough bin, none.  So it ended up in our wheelie bin.  I have written to a local councillor and the Commission to see if they are aware of the extent of the litter up at the site and whether anyone else is already doing some picking there. 

I have subscribed to Ethical Consumer since and am going to return to the woods every 2 weeks or so and do more picking.  I feel that I am no longer an observer to a problem, that in itself is rewarding.  I wonder what would make a person understand that maybe litter doesn't belong in a woods, unless it is of the leaf variety? 

So if you go down to the woods today, I hope you don't see any signs of McDonalds.