To the editor:
Walking in our neighbourhood is a delight to the senses. The sounds of birdsong, the pair of pheasants exchanging vocal greetings or warnings, the numerous quail and deer along the roadside and in the vineyards. It is a true gift of nature.
That is, if I don’t look down at the road and in the ditches. Plastic bags, disposable cups, bottles, cans, straws and many cigarette butts (and quite a few plastic filters) litter the scene. Some of the garbage comes flying off the waste recycling trucks, some from vehicle windows (tossed without care) and some blown about by the wind from other neighbourhoods.
What to do?
Pick it up! I will bring my long-handled grabber, wear rubber gloves, and tote a large plastic bag and collect. Instead of grumbling, phoning city hall, calling the waste management company, I’ll do it myself.
Separating pop cans, bottles and anything else for recycling is not a big chore, if you do it on a small scale. So, if there were a self-appointed picker-upper in many neighbourhoods, our street, and our tiny place on the planet, would be a lot cleaner.
‘Why should I?’ you may ask. Why not?
This small action makes me feel good about walking along our street and not glaring at every piece of garbage or trash so carelessly tossed out.
We’ve had many pets over the years but currently do not have the pleasure of walking a dog around the neighbourhood. I do not pick up dog poo unless it’s on our boulevard (which is quite a length). The rest of the dog messes, and there are numerous amounts, are left where they are.
My challenge to everyone walking in their neighbourhood: Pick up the garbage. And maybe, just maybe, we can take care of our planet, one street at a time.
Jean Farina, West Kelowna