Do you know where your horn is? Like, of your car? I had never used mine before, mostly because I didn’t want to add to the anger that seems to pave our streets these days. I recently found myself searching quickly to try and find it, though, and when I did it sounded like a high-pitched whine instead of an authoritative bellow. The reason I blew my horn? The person in front of me littered. That will fix his little red wagon.
Seriously, nothing ignites my anger like seeing people’s trash on our streets. To me it’s like a jolt to my heart when I pass strewn fast-food containers that have been thrown with not only disregard, but with deliberate disdain. I understand how a receipt or tissue might accidentally roll from the car when you’re hoisting yourself out of it, but when I see a stretch of drink containers, paper wrapping, cardboard containers from multiple meals staring at me from their heap on the lawn… that is deliberate.
A friend on social media posted recently that he had hauled six garbage bags full of trash that had been left at an ‘open camping’ area near Medicine Hat. He passed the mess while walking his dog, so spent the rest of the week packing a garbage bag on their walks and hauling it back filled. His efforts are commendable, of course, and how wonderful that he didn’t conveniently turn a blind eye. But he should never have had to address it at all. Especially since it doesn’t seem like just one person, or even one group, was responsible for the landfill they seemed to turn the beautiful camping spot into. That much garbage was created through the contribution of many.
So many people find ways in the course of their own lives to clean up these messes. I see the young family down the street doing a trash walk sometimes, each wearing plastic gloves and carrying their own pick-up tongs and collection bag. How sad to have such a stinking example of disrespect and cluelessness so close to home. But, also, how nice to have such engaged role models as parents.
A friend of mine gathers with other seniors in their neighbourhood to do a street clean-up a couple of times a year. It’s understandable that some of the papers blow in accidentally, and how commendable of them to keep the area around their homes clean. But the half-drunk bottles of vodka stashed in hedges doesn’t seem accidental, or the vibrator they discovered near the bottle. They dragged it out with their gloved hands, giggling and waving it around for the others to come and see. Quite a find for a bunch of older people.
I’m all for good humour and for trying not to judge. Sometimes things slip out of pockets or people misunderstand what constitutes litter (ie. cigarette butts!) Other times I think there is a strange idea that their action is supporting some sort of community service, like the fellow I saw polishing off a pop and throwing the can strategically to the curb. I watched, thinking immediately that he was placing it so it would be easy for someone searching for bottles and cans to find. My second thought was: wouldn’t it be more helpful to make a donation to the soup kitchen? It certainly would be more helpful to the earth we live on.
Visit Sandy’s website at www.LifeInRetirement.ca