On a recent family holiday to Morocco, I noticed something quite spectacular.

On one of the promenades, thousands of families were enjoying the early evening sun. Yet, something was missing. There was no litter.

It was not as if there were countless bins or signs warning people that they would face hefty fines for littering. There was actually not one piece of rubbish on the ground.

Even trying to spot a cigarette butt was proving difficult. I was wondering why I was so impressed with this. Either the litter was magically disappearing or people were actually proud of their country and had been taught from an early age that littering in a public place was wrong.

It was in stark comparison to the countless events and festivals in this country where we feel it is ‘okay’ to litter. I think some people feel it is part of the ‘deal’ of being a temporary visitor to a site.

We feel we have a right to litter because it is after all a festival or a show and the organisers will have some litter pickers on hand later who will come and pick up the rubbish. Even if we find a bin and it is overflowing we will dump it rather than hold on to it.

Moreover, I think much of it has to do with ‘pride’. I know most of us are not like this and we will make huge efforts to make sure the areas and neighbourhoods are clean.

There are many who go around and clean spaces on their own time. Elsewhere as we have seen on these pages we have people who think it okay to throw takeaway rubbish out of their car windows onto the street.

The problem some places like Morocco have is the disposal of rubbish. As you head into the outback you will find areas where rubbish has been dumped. While here it would normally be picked up over there it is left to rot.

Like most modern countries we are good at hiding our rubbish from sight. We are essentially a nation that has the means to dispose of litter but we choose not to use it. For what they are in many ways we have become spoilt by the services.