Take Pride In Your Community

Originally from: Nye
                        
I have started a voluntary litter picking scheme in my local community and every Saturday we get together and walk the streets of our estate and the local park picking up litter. More people are joining in and it's great to see people taking pride in their community and making a difference. I've created a group called Litter Pickers Inc. and invite you all to join.

The address is:

http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/LitterPickers

Many thanks, Nye Martin
                        

Originally from: David
                        
Good for you!

I the USA you see signs saying something like "Employees of "company name" keep this Highway clear of litter" or something similar.

It gives the message that if you dump litter you are dumping it on the poor employees of the named company.

I have long thought we should try it here. Try contacting your local council to see if they will put up signs saying "The litter in this neighbourhood/park is tidied by "name of your group". Maybe people will respect the neighbourhood more and you won's have to pick up so much litter! No guarantee though!

David

Originally from: Farmtalking
                        
Hello Nye! Welcome to our message board!

What a good idea! I think we could all suggest something similar in our own communities!

In some ways I feel I've already started – as this afternoon, before I read your message, I visited the Ellemford Show with a friend. Its one of the last agricultural shows in this area this year, very small but well supported and in a wonderful riverside setting below the Lammamuir hills – I'm hoping to add a few pictures from the show to the Farmtalking website soon, as it's so good to be able to hold the shows again after last year's disaster!

However on the way home, we stopped to wander by the river for a few minutes in a lovely picnic area, set out with tables and benches for the tourist's convenience. A large litter bin was provided but scattered on the grass were the remains of a barbecue! A scorched area of grass and paper napkins and empty crisp, biscuit and sweet packets lying all around!

My friend and I took less than a minute to pick them up and pop them in the bin, restoring the land to its natural beauty in a few seconds. Why on earth the picnic-ers hadn't done so themselves is quite beyond me!

'Ours not to reason why but simply 'do' as advised by 'Nye'!

Originally from: Burkie
                        
You have this Kansan's complete support.

We do it here, too. 4-H groups...public organizations. Usually on a week-end basis. Great work...a good outing...and makes people and the kids think.

Just go to Saudi Arabia, outside any city and see how the Arabs deal with their trash.....or the desert ( a natural environment if there ever was one).....and take a picture of the dumps.

Man is the dirtiest animal in the world.

Burkie in Kansas

Originally from: Nye
                        
Thanks!
I have never figured out why people drop litter in the first place, it's one of the great mysteries of life! If i'd dropped litter when I was a kid my Dad would of given me a clip round the ear! I wish I could get my whole town cleaned up, its disgusting, but I can only do so much and have got our local park spotless and about a dozen streets around my home. It looks so much better though, so it's definately worth giving up a half hour or so a day to do it.

Many thanks, Nye

Originally from: Bill
                        
The problem in newly developed countries is they don't have any kind of infrastructure to deal with trash. When they are suddenly innundated with "disposable" products from the U.S.A. and Europe such as nappies (diapers Burkie), plastic packaging and Mc.Donalds they do, as you have observed, dump it in the desert or bush.

Fifty years ago those people were living as one with nature and had no need for dumps, fast food or "Western" medicine.

Bhutelezi Chief of the Zulu said "We should be grateful to the white man for syphilising us".

My personal contribution to a cleaner environment has been to boycott all "fast food" outlets due to the huge amounts of trash they generate.

Bill.
                        

Originally from: Nye
                        
I'm with you on that one Bill, but more for corparate domination than litter but I know what you mean. How many times have you seen someone at a McBunolds drive thru, scoffing a meal in their car then throw it out the window even though they are 10 feet from a bin!!

Nye