Originally published May 29/19 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.
I was challenged once by a young person when I picked up some garbage. “Why? It’s not your garbage.” “But it is my community.”
It is obvious recently that many people in our community feel this way. Pictures and posts on Facebook tell the story of garbage cleaned up from streets, roadways and the bush.
Actually they tell two stories.
The first story is one of community pride and appreciation for everyone who is willing to give their time, energy and resources like vehicles to make it happen.
The second story is the problem of littering. Why do people litter? Where do they think it will go?
More garbage/recycling bins have been added to our community in recent years. If there are spots that tend to collect a lot of garbage, garbage and recycling bins could be place there.
But the lack of a garbage bin is no excuse.
If no garbage or recycling bins are available, people should put it in a pocket; leave it in a vehicle or hold on to it until they find one.
There is absolutely no excuse for deliberately dumping large items in the bush. The local landfills are close by. If the $10.00 is too much, wait for spring clean-up.
Litter does not break down very quickly.
Here are some examples of how long it takes.
Banana peels – 1 month
Corn based plastic – 45 days
Cigarette butts – up to 10 years
Aluminium cans – 200 to 500 years
Plastic bag – up to 1,000 years
Styrofoam cup – 1 million years
Where should these items go? Banana peels can be composted. Aluminium cans should be recycled. The rest go in the garbage.
I was challenged once by a young person when I picked up some garbage. “Why? It’s not your garbage.” “But it is my community.”
It is obvious recently that many people in our community feel this way. Pictures and posts on Facebook tell the story of garbage cleaned up from streets, roadways and the bush.
Actually they tell two stories.
The first story is one of community pride and appreciation for everyone who is willing to give their time, energy and resources like vehicles to make it happen.
The second story is the problem of littering. Why do people litter? Where do they think it will go?
More garbage/recycling bins have been added to our community in recent years. If there are spots that tend to collect a lot of garbage, garbage and recycling bins could be place there.
But the lack of a garbage bin is no excuse.
If no garbage or recycling bins are available, people should put it in a pocket; leave it in a vehicle or hold on to it until they find one.
There is absolutely no excuse for deliberately dumping large items in the bush. The local landfills are close by. If the $10.00 is too much, wait for spring clean-up.
Litter does not break down very quickly.
Here are some examples of how long it takes.
Banana peels – 1 month
Corn based plastic – 45 days
Cigarette butts – up to 10 years
Aluminium cans – 200 to 500 years
Plastic bag – up to 1,000 years
Styrofoam cup – 1 million years
Where should these items go? Banana peels can be composted. Aluminium cans should be recycled. The rest go in the garbage.
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