LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Adopt-A-Street

Seaway News Staff
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Adopt-A-Street

We volunteers with the city’s Adopt-a-Street Program are already out on the streets and parks of our city trying to clean up the litter and detritus which has accumulated over last fall and winter. The amount of garbage is appalling and disheartening.  There aren’t enough of us to cover all the city streets especially major thoroughfares such as Pitt, McConnell, Ninth, Thirteenth, Cumberland and Brookdale to name a few.  I despair that these will soon look like the streets and byways of some third world countries I have been to.

Whatever happened to the “Do not Litter” sensibility that many of us grew up with?  We see so many fast food cups, paper, cans, bottles and cigarette packs thrown on the ground as if doing so is now an accepted practice.  We clean up one week and it’s all back the next. We have to revisit the same areas over and over again which prevents us from tackling additional areas.

We appreciate the “thank yous” we get from people out walking but ask that those who are able join our ranks rather than complain how dirty their street or walking route is.  At a minimum, if everyone just cleaned up the boulevard in front of their property, it would make our volunteers’ job less onerous and improve the look and property value of our neighbourhoods.

During the Covid-19 crisis we expect to see fewer fast food and other litter on the streets due to the reduction in foot and vehicular traffic.  Scientists are also noticing reductions in air pollution.  It’s tragic that it is taking a global pandemic to improve our environment.  However, let’s take advantage of this opportunity to do some spring cleaning where we live and, hopefully, start with a renewed environment when things return to normal.

Please check out the Adopt-a-Street Program on the city’s website and help us help the environment.

 

M. Waller

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