 by Charlotte Glover April 22, 2004
I am enjoying the lively forum about litter. Many thanks to Jerry for the good work he does. I completely agree with him and Susan Round that trashy behavior starts in the home. I was reminded of this again yesterday when my three year old son and I picked up trash at the Grant St. playground. We visit there several times a week and pick up all sorts of things that I would not want a toddler eating or touching. Sometimes my son wants to help and I give him a little bag of his own to put trash in and so he is learning by example. My parents and grandparents kept immaculate homes and yards. From the time I was little, I worked alongside them, learning to take pride in my work and in my surroundings. Last week there was lots of debris from Easter Eggs at the Grant St. playground, the usual lollypop sticks, discarded band-aids, and, as always, dozens and dozens of cigarette butts. I never can pick them all up in the time I have. I wonder what sort of person thinks a children's playground is an appropriate ashtray. It's no wonder so many of us have real animosity towards smokers. I have a bad potato chip habit, but I don't leave my empty bags and crumbs lying around town for everyone to pick up!:) When my husband was living in Ireland, we were greatly amused by their annual "Tidy Town" competition. Perhaps Ketchikan could benefit from a "Tidy Street" competition.? The Irish countryside is full of litter, too, and dead animals- so it could be worse in Ketchikan! I never got used to seeing decaying cats in the street. I recently read that the Irish have put a tax on plastic grocery store bags and have decreased their debris noticeably while raising millions of dollars in tax revenue. There are always solutions to every problem if people are creative and work together. Yours for a cleaner Ketchikan, Charlotte Glover
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