[RP TownTalk] Street sweeping

Thu Sep 3 12:59:00 UTC 2009

>From the Keep America Beautiful Site regarding Litlitter.

"Why do people litter?
People tend to litter because they feel no sense of personal ownership. In addition, even though areas such as parks and beaches are public property, people often believe that someone else a park maintenance or highway worker will take responsibility to pick up litter that has accumulated over time. Because any and all items used in human activity have a potential of being littered, the scale of this issue is significant. 
Because Keep America Beautiful believes litter is often a starting point for other community blight, and that everyone shares a personal responsibility to help prevent litter in their community, we encourage solutions that involve public education and volunteer action. Knowing more about the causes of litter and where it comes from is a good place to start in addressing litter prevention. One person, one business, one organization can positively affect the behavior of others in their community."

________________________________
From: "bruce.wernek at mindspring.com" <bruce.wernek at mindspring.com>
To: towntalk at riverdale-park.org
Sent: Thursday, September 3, 2009 8:35:17 AM
Subject: Re: [RP TownTalk] Street sweeping

All

When I was younger it was socially unacceptable to litter..  There were "Do not Litter" signs/slogans on roads and in the parks, "Do Not Litter" ads on radio and TV.  In fact if you got caught littering on Rt 95 you could be fined $1000.  There were numerous "Do Not Litter" signs lining Rt 95, but they have long been removed.  We are in a new era in our society where littering is socially acceptable just like pretty much everything else.  Litter is ubiquitous, everywhere, ignored.  It's a reflection on us and our apathy regarding the cleanliness of the very places we live and work.  Our kids play in it, our pets chew on it, birds make nests with it, wild animals eat it.  Who cares about how it affects the enviroment and the other living things that share this planet with us.  The street sweeper will pick it up.

Will the street sweeper pickup the inconceivable volumes of trash that are being dumped overboard by every vessel on the high seas.  Will the street sweeper save the all of the animals that inadvertently consume our filth mistaking it for food?  Will the street sweeper clean up all of the trash washed into the rivers and creeks spreading our poison over this Garden of Eden on which we tread?  Two hundred miles straight up there is nothing but a hard vacuum and lifeless empty planets for inconceivable distances.  This third stone from the Sun is a cool oasis in an infinite desert yet we treat it like a dumping ground for our refuse.  This behavior is unsustainable.  There are now around 6.8 billion people on the planet.  It's projected that there will be around 9 billion by the year 2040.  Is the street sweeper going to pick up all of their trash too?

I hate to break the news to you, but the street sweeper can't solve this problem.  It's up to us to change our behavior and recognize that throwing our trash all over the place is totally, utterly, unacceptable (I can't believe I just said this.  I took it for granted that everyone felt this way).  Anyone who discards their trash as if the world's their trash can should penalized civilly and socially.  It's up to us to solve this problem.  We can start with our Town government enforcing our ordinances, political correctness be damned.

Bruce

-----Original Message----- 
>From: Andrew Waldron 
>Sent: Sep 2, 2009 7:18 PM 
>To: Cranky old Coot 
>Cc: towntalk at riverdale-park.org 
>Subject: Re: [RP TownTalk] Street sweeping 
>
>All- 
>
>
>I really fail to understand the point of this discussion. If the town is purchasing the vacuum, it will sweep up the litter. Litter is something that is in every society everyone. It would be impossible to stop it. Therefore, instead of discussing ways to eliminate it (an impossible task), let's pick up trash when we see it and leave the rest up to the vacuum.
>
>
>On Wed, Sep 2, 2009 at 6:29 PM, Cranky old Coot <lking at knob.com> wrote:
>
>Enlightenment, awareness,  behavior modification are good objectives.
>>
>>But I hear leftest jackboots coming down Riverdale Park's streets. How would we hold McDonald's responsible for quarter third pounder rappers in my yard? McDonald's is just as responsible for the health cost of obesity as they are for litter, and no one has figured out how to stop that atrocity. I would gladly pickup all their trash if they would stop "aiding and abetting" the poor eating habits of my neighbors. But that won't happen!
>>
>>I would suggest a step back and an effort to stay at least within sight of reality.  
>>
>>Perhaps some suggested changes to the Town Code would be in order. My reading of paragraphs 57-2 thru 57-4 and 57-6  of the Code don't seem to cover what is being discussed here. Paragraph 36, about trash, also misses (IMHO).
>>
>>On the other hand paragraph 57-10(a) seems to me to identify who is responsible for the clean-up.
>>
>>"It shall be the duty of every person in charge or control of any building or parcel of
>>land located in the town, fronting or abutting on a public sidewalk, whether as owner, tenant,
>>occupant or otherwise, to cut and keep trim grass from the edge of the property line to the paved
>>road, whether the land is public or private, and not to allow any trash, waste material, garbage,
>>offensive dirty material, weeds, briars, brush and grass to grow more than ten (10) inches tall. It
>>shall be unlawful to fail, neglect or refuse to comply with this section."
>>
>>(the emphases is mine).  I want to watch that trash "grow to more than ten 10 inches tall."  :-)
>>
>>COC
>>-- 
>>I'm the Cranky Old Coot's keeper, and I approve this message
>>
>>Lou King
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>>
>>
>

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