Litter creates challenges
Ditches need their spring cleanup, beer cans, Tims' cups abound
I took a couple of hours this morning to walk along Burnbrae Road East out of town and picked up some presents for Mayor Bob Crate.
It’s hard to know what to get for the mayor who has everything so I hope he likes the gifts, which will help him best the other local mayors in the Mayors’ Clean Up Challenge, the county-wide litter pickup contest running from Earth Day April 20 to Saturday, April 26.
I’ve picked up litter in previous years, but this time I was inspired because earlier in the week I went for my first bike ride of the year. I did a loop out of town east on Burnbrae Rd. to Pethericks’s Rd. and back along the 7th line. I was really struck by the amount of Tim Hortons coffee cups and beer cans that littered the ditches along that route. This time of year they are easy to see, before the grass gets growing.
So, I decided rather than ride this morning, I would walk in the ditch and gather what I could find. I had my trash picker tool and gloves from Dollarama and tight fitting clothes to deter ticks. I decided to put all the waste in garbage bags and put anything that should be recycled – water bottles and beer cans, mostly – in a clear plastic bag.
Business was good. At first it was mostly Tim Hortons’ cups, but a couple kilometres out of town the tally swung more to beer cans. I think my research is the beginning of a PhD degree in sociology or social anthropology, if I decide to go that route. Lots of questions are raised by the things people throw away and the answers can tell you a lot about people and how they live.
My plan is to dump out the clear bag and set the beer cans aside to recycle at the Beer Store. Yes, I’ve reached that stage where I am the old guy in the ditch collecting empties. But since I think there’s a good chance Trumponomics will result in a depression, not just a recession, it’s probably smart that I get used to this.
Besides, it gave me something to consider: How many beer cans do I need to offset my market losses? I’m not sure, if I was good at math I never would have been a journalist. My guess is a lot.
I want to say to the driver who stopped beside me and lowered his window, just to say thanks, I appreciate your kind words.
I didn’t bother grabbing the car tire out of the ditch, or the rusting out wheelbarrow. Not sure that Mayor Crate needs those.
If you’re thinking of joining in the Mayors’ Challenge and picking up litter here are a few tips: You can register at the town office and get free bags. Or register by email to customers@trenthills.ca or 705.653.1900 ext 0.
There is more litter in the right ditches heading out of town. It seems folks come to town to buy stuff and then throw it out as they leave, or maybe just head out of town to drink their beer.
One tip to remember is what I learned a few years ago from our MPP David Piccini. We were chatting at some event and he had just finished a litter pickup session along Highway 401. I always remember his warning: There’s a good chance that plastic bottles that have liquid in them when found in the ditch are filled with something you don’t want to touch. Be careful.
“Did you know that long-haul truck drivers don’t stop for washroom breaks?” Piccini asked me.
A word to the wise. Hence, gloves and the trash grabber.
Still time to vote
After litter duty and a long hot shower, and a tick check, I went to the advance poll to vote and it took just a few minutes. The long lineups that people faced seem to be over.
You can vote in advance on Monday or wait until election day in two weeks. By all accounts across the country, the turnout has been high.
Trent remains high
Lower Trent Conservation Authority is warning everyone to be careful close to the Trent River.
“Lower Trent Conservation advises local municipalities and the public that a flood warning for Rice Lake and the Trent River from Hastings to Trenton is still in effect,” its website says.
“Current water levels and flows are highly elevated and there is a heightened risk to public safety and property damages in flood prone areas,” the notice says. “The flows through the Trent River are being maintained at an elevated rate; however, water levels along the river have stabilized and started to decline. Slight reductions in water levels and flows are expected over the next few days.”
There is a minimal amount of flooding in a few back yards in Campbellford on the north end of town, but nothing like some years in the past.
You can read all Trent Hills News stories anytime on the website.
Just came back from Istanbul, Turkey and Lombok/Bali/Nusa Penida in Indonesia. There is no garbage on the side of the roads, or on the streets and in parks. There are plenty of garbage cans everywhere. I dirtbike all over the trails here in Northumberland Hills. There are beer cans, food containers and Timmy’s cup that have been discarded by ATV riders all over the trails. McDonald’s cups and containers are thrown into the river during school lunch hour. So many entitled, illbred, angry dimwits that don’t give a shit about their neighbors. Where I was traveling, there is pride of their community and respect for others. We think of ourselves as civilized in our first world environment, when in truth, many of us are utterly classless.
Thank You Art for picking up other people's garbage. It seems unfair that people who don't litter are the ones who perform these tasks, usually for no other reason than it being the right thing to do. I pick up trash along my road frontage throughout the year and have participated in the mayor's challenge with my wife in the past. The things we found in this pursuit were often pretty disgusting. Pee bottles and syringes were common. I have to agree with Rodney on this one. At what point were you taught or did it suddenly become okay to be so thoughtless, transferring your personal responsibility for your own garbage to your neighbours?