Anybody who knows me will know that I love my food.

Recently, I was having a quick snack on my way to mentor and coach some of the year 8s at Pleckgate High School.

During my journey I noticed a couple of boys finishing what I presumed was their lunch, a can of Miranda and a packet of crisps. When they had finished their snacks, they quite blatantly threw the empty cans and the empty crisp packets up against someone’s garden fence.

Now this is not the first time I have come across around the area.

Could you imagine your kids sitting in the front room and doing the same thing after they had finished what they had just eaten?

No you couldn’t, so why should it be any different in our community? Surely, as valued members of the community we have a moral and social obligation to encourage young people to take pride in the area in which they live. It is not as though councils don’t provide bins for waste.

You can’t change other people’s behavior but you can change your own!

Just imagine, if everyone did their bit and took the time to encourage young people and set an example, what our community would look like.

So the next time you find yourself or somebody around you having something to eat - do the right thing and stick it in the bin.

Special thanks to Hajra for your kind comments on my column about taking care of our elderly.