Joan Bannister, 72, told the Cambrian News that she picked up a book enclosed in a plastic parcel left on the Tywyn promenade whilst walking her dog on the evening of Tuesday, 8 October.
Joan said she held the Scouts organisation in high regard but was “shocked” to see them encouraging children to hide books in plastic, due to the fact that the plastic may blow away.
Simon Carter, a member of the Scouts media relations team, defended the campaign, stating that the plastic was not single-use and is intended to be used repeatedly.
It was necessary for the book to be enclosed in plastic for its preservation.
The intention of the Scouts was to encourage a book-sharing scheme; members of the movement can enclose a book they enjoy in plastic and leave it for other members of the community to pick up.
Simon said that the scheme was “about sharing knowledge and joy”.
The idea is similar to BookCrossing which is an organisation, based in the United States that allows people to share books globally.
A similar scheme took place on the London tube and now the Scouts have brought it to Tywyn.
But Joan questioned the initiative saying: “Should the scout movement really be encouraging children to deposit plastic-covered parcels on the streets, where they not only create litter, but possibly block drains and even worse end up in the ocean.”