Clean City: If Roads could talk. Litter

Main Street, the artery. A roadway used by pedestrians and cars, residents and visitors. Across her skin are tracks of rubber from tires and sneakers. Caressing her sides is a band of grass or mounds of snow depending on the season. Overreaching her expanse, bowing tree limbs throwing shadows upon the placid route.

Ah, what activity she sees! Oh, what iniquity she suffers. If she could curse, surely her asphalt would spew with disdain. She endures the effect of sourly actions of carelessness, and the purposeful act of degradation. If she could speak, what words would she choose to utter to those who make use of her passageway?

                                                                                                                Photo Credit: Pick Up America.

At six A.M., Joe throws a cigarette out his car window – a toxic deposit soon to enter the waterways. Her first ever utterance is guttural but succinct; “The world is not an ashtray”.  Joe nearly slams into the car ahead in shock, and then ponders upon his poor roadside manners. Another commuter, Susan, consumes her latte and spots a candy wrapper on the car floor. She silently curses her teenage son for his sloppiness as she tosses her empty coffee cup toward the curb. Susan fails to hear the street call out with firmness “Litter-it’s in the bag-carry one in your car”. 

Now at seven A.M. students are heading to school. A small group stops for a fast food breakfast to eat along the way. Knapsacks and pockets apparently are full as wrappers sail like kite tails behind the students and across the sidewalk and roadway. “Rubbish” the main street artery cries out. “What a load of rubbish- now give a hoot and don’t pollute” she admonishes the startled students. 

Later around ten A.M. Mary and Shawn traverse to market. They note the plastic bags, store flyers, and other trash on the ground in front of the store. Yet they show a surprising apathy toward the unsightly problem. Main Street cannot keep silent and speaks up. “Tell the storeowner the welcome mat is diminished by a trashy facade”. Mary and Joe are startled into an attitude of intolerance of litter. They decide they will alert the store manager of the opportunity to make the store more inviting by maintaining a litter- free parking lot and entrance.  Somehow, the ride home seems more pleasant to both Mary and Shawn.

Evening comes, supper wraps up.  A pleasant walk is welcome relief from a long day. John, Francis, and their dog Snoopy head out the door with poop scoop bags and two empty grocery bags. John and Francis have come to think of themselves as neat people. Not because they have, a dog named Snoopy, but because they pick up trash off the sidewalk and street as they walk. Their neighborhood is clean year round because John and Francis pick up after themselves and others.  John and Francis attribute the sound to wind as a gentle voice expresses pride, “These are neat people-they must care about how their neighborhood looks”.

Yes, a good many people of all kinds and persuasions pass by our town every day. Some may even hear a mysterious voice decrying, “Be part of the solution-carry your trash with you!”

Lend a hand picking up found trash throughout the year to help keep Vermont a special place-Green and Clean. 









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Litter Picking is an All Season Sport.

Other essay postings:

       Ø  Why are we tolerant of trash?: http://litterwithastorytotell.blogspot.com/2011/04/why-are-we-tolerant-of-trash.html

Ø  Tell me why: http://litterwithastorytotell.blogspot.com/2011/07/tell-me-why.html

Ø  Green Economy-does it include you?: http://litterwithastorytotell.blogspot.com/2012/02/green-economy-does-it-include-you.html

Ø  Sleuthing-Detective work: http://litterwithastorytotell.blogspot.com/2010/07/sleuthing.html

Ø  Dog days of summer: http://litterwithastorytotell.blogspot.com/2010/08/dog-days-of-summer-our-dogs-are-great.html

Ø  Who is responsible for this mess? http://litterwithastorytotell.blogspot.com/2010/09/who-is-responsible-for-this-mess.html

Ø  The Power in numbers: http://litterwithastorytotell.blogspot.com/2010/10/power-in-numbers.html

Ø  Mark Your Territory (dogs): http://litterwithastorytotell.blogspot.com/2010/12/mark-your-territory.html

Ø  Let’s not disappoint them: http://litterwithastorytotell.blogspot.com/2011/10/lets-not-disappoint-them.html

Ø  What goes up must come down: http://litterwithastorytotell.blogspot.com/2012/10/look-up.html

Ø  The story of my blog: http://litterwithastorytotell.blogspot.com/2012/10/dont-just-be-change-make-change.html

Ø  Blog measureable outcomes: http://litterwithastorytotell.blogspot.com/2013/01/2013-measurable-outcomes-desired.html

Ø  What’s your story?: http://litterwithastorytotell.blogspot.com/2013/01/whats-your-story.html

Litter picking is an All Season Sport - The Importance of a Green and Clean Main Street. South Burlington, Vermont

Successful downtowns are built on many steps, from unique character like Burlington's bricked pedestrian-only Church Street, to Brattleboro's diverse mix of eateries and local shops. After all the brick and mortar is in, businesses established, trees and flowers planted, maintenance is required.

Keeping the downtown litter free is no small part of providing pleasurable aesthetics as part of the downtown community experience. South Burlington might consider following Burlington, Brattleboro and other Vermont towns in placing trash receptacles along the South Burlington downtown district(s) and arrange to have them serviced at regular intervals. As Brattleboro's web site says, “The commercial district is a reflection of community image, pride, prosperity, and level of investment-critical factors in business retention and recruitment efforts.” Our South Burlington “Main Street” and all our streets can be kept Green and Clean to help “reinforce our intangible sense of community” as Brattleboro proclaims of its' Main Street.

How can we meet and support the South Burlington community's changing cultural and public policy expectations on litter- a community intolerant of littering behavior? In addition, how can businesses as well as individuals be leaders in promoting an attitude that it is not acceptable to walk past litter?

One way is to establish public trash receptacles and service at high traffic transition points where there is consistent litter accumulation. Two of the reasons people litter on the public domain are:

• Litter has already accumulated. The more litter present the more people are inclined to litter.

• Number, placement and appearance of disposal containers at or near the site is inadequate.

Most folks do not want to litter. By providing servicing of receptacles at these,
transition points a local trash haulers image could be united with the beautification of South Burlington's urban environment.

The South Burlington city manager has expressed interest in this idea and suggested the city might consider a request to purchase a limited number of trash receptacles (with grates that prevent wholesale dumping of household trash into them), provided a company would sign up for servicing the containers without charge to the City. If a trial run proved successful, we could consider expanding the program coverage by soliciting local businesses support (paying for cost of servicing) at their locations.

Please take a moment to ask your local trash hauler to consider this trial program as a way to enhance South Burlington's urban environment and community through in-kind servicing of public trash receptacles. I can arrange for a meeting with the South Burlington city manager and a trash hauler representative and myself to work out the detailed application / agreement.