Be Grateful It's Only a Crisp Packet on Your Face?

Nell Frizzell complains about the state of British waterways (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/apr/12/i-have-swum-through-sewage-far-too-often-why-cant-we-take-better-care-of-our-rivers). Frizzell is keen on 'wild swimming' but notes that thousands of tonnes of sewage are (legally) discharged into rivers by private Water Companies. You can add to that, the other pollution flowing into rivers and canals from agricultural and industrial complexes. She asks, not unreasonably, why we can't take better care of our rivers? The broad answer might be that rivers are regarded by some as a 'free' disposal system for human and animal waste.