Editor's comment: Dropping our waste should be made totally unacceptable

What a terrifying amount of money that we waste each year by being lazy, selfish and downright dirty.

Whether it’s a crisp packet, drinks can or old sofa - we all pay when people can’t be bothered to sort their own waste.

Sheffielders often complain about litter and say the council should do more to clear it up.

They have missed the point.

That rubbish should not be there in the first place.

It is the council’s responsibility to keep our city clean but that should not be tons of rubbish carelessly made into everyone’s problem.

The sheer scale of cash needed to clean up after us feels much worse in an era where this city is struggling to fund vital services.

We have to spend less money on things that are literally lifelines ... because of disgusting habits.

Wouldn’t you rather everyone put their rubbish in a bin and we could invest in children’s centres, libraries, help for the elderly or transport for the disabled?

For the record, I don’t drop litter.

I was brought up to believe it is wrong.

But that isn’t enough.

We need to make sure it is so unacceptable in our city that everyone becomes too ashamed to toss their pizza box on the pavement.

Education is the future, but for now the blame lies firmly at our own feet.

Sheffielders, we are making a mess of our own city.

And the bill for that is paid by us.