Fran McPherson is outraged by the litter she sees at Devil’s Hole Reserve, but recently witnessing the nappy being dumped has prompted her to go public.

She’s called on people to change their ways, and has been supported by former Tidy Towns chairman Mal Monson.

Ms McPherson said she observed a young couple fishing last weekend at the spot along the Macquarie River.

The young woman changed the toddler’s nappy, threw the dirty one under the car and left, leaving the nappy for someone else to pick up, Ms McPherson said.

“It’s hard to believe how disgusting a few people are in our city,” she said.

The river is not the only place where Ms McPherson has seen nappies dumped.

“I’ve seen them do it at Orana Mall, throw the nappy under the car and then drive over it,” she said.

And the excuse of lack of conveniences does not wash with this mother of six who used cloth nappies.

“I always carried paper bags with me and if I needed to change a nappy down the street, I took it with me,” Ms McPherson said. “These young ones have no respect.”

Mr Monson is also appalled by discarded nappies.

“I agree with her, it’s disgusting,” he said.

“I’ve had a baby and used disposable nappies and there’s a place for them and leaving them on a river bank and the side of the road is not it.”

The website of consumer group CHOICE cites 2001 industry data, which showed 89 per cent of all nappies changed in Australia were disposables, up from 40 per cent in 1993.

“The mentality of today is that it’s a disposable world so who cares where you throw it,” Mr Monson said.

“But long term you only get one world and you need to look after it.”

By picking up a nappy or a paper people made a difference, he said.

“It’s one more thing that’s not going to end up in the river system or hurt native wildlife,” he said.

Ms McPherson has lived in Dubbo for more than 50 years and is a regular visitor to the reserve, also called Devil’s Elbow.

She has caught many a fish there, but hates the way others leave beer bottles, food packaging and other rubbish along the banks.