Picking up others trash.... Yes or No?

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I often pick up trash I see on the ground and throw it away. I hate seeing it. I feel it is my small part to help make my part of the world a little nicer. How about you?
 
The lazy idiots that get me are the ones who leave a beverage cup or plastic bottle sitting upright in a parking lot...I always pick them up and throw them away...or the posterior heads who dump their ashtrays in parking lots...
 
I do it all the time as well. The mailman leaves a bunch of rubber bands all over the ground by the mailboxes for my section of the neighborhood. I always pick them up and any other trash along the way. If I take my daughter to the park to play, I'll pick the trash in the park while she is busy playing.
 
Yes, I did this all the time until I hurt my back. Now I really have weigh if the pain is worth it. Hopefully there will be some good Karma so I can get back to helping.
 
Yes, but only cans and bottles. They go straight into the recycling bin and not the garbage.

Two years ago while vacationing in Cancun, Mexico, I couldn't believe how much glass and plastic had washed up onto the beach (I had walked far from the resort by this point). I spotted an empty 20L Shell gear oil pail and filled it with as many bottles as I could. I then left it by a public area where locals visit and hope it didn't end up back in the sea.
 
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Originally Posted By: GSCJR
Yes, but only cans and bottles. They go straight into the recycling bin and not the garbage.

Two years ago while vacationing in Cancun, Mexico, I couldn't believe how much glass and plastic had washed up onto the beach (I had walked far from the resort by this point). I spotted an empty 20L Shell gear oil pail and filled it with as many bottles as I could. I then left it by a public area where locals visit and hope it didn't end up back in the sea.


Yes, pollution of our oceans is another terrible issue that needs addressing.
 
There is a small creek in front of my house that runs beside the road for about 2 miles. It's sad/amazing how much gets thrown in the creek. It's also really funny how my grandparents who live about 100 yards up the road from me only get onto me if I don't pick up the alcohol containers. Fast food boxes/cups, cigarette cartons, pizza boxes, etc are okay; they'll wash down eventually. But a Bud Light can... I better put on my rubber boots and get them out, somebody will see that.
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My church does roadside cleanup here about once a year. In only 2 miles, there's usually 2 or 3 full sized pickup loads of trash to collect. Sad.
 
I won’t pick up anything unless I’m absolutely sure it’s safe. Way too many needles and other hazardous stuff these days. One of those trash picker sticks would help.

You should visit the Seattle metro and their parks. Full of druggies and other types of no gooders. They are no go zones, especially after dark or in the early morning hours.
 
The best of us will put our trash to the curb with care, but animals or the trash collectors might make a mess despite our efforts. So I pick up what I can. I rake my 93 year old neighbor's leaves because if they are left on his lawn, they blow to mine, it's less about doing him a favour - more about my OCD.

When I was a 15 year old kid working at a Chevron gas station, I found that if the washrooms (especially the women's) were kept clean, they stayed clean. Let them get a bit dirty = all heck broke loose! I think your neighborhoods are the same sort of thing, so keep picking up.
 
Originally Posted By: fenixguy
There is a small creek in front of my house that runs beside the road for about 2 miles. It's sad/amazing how much gets thrown in the creek. It's also really funny how my grandparents who live about 100 yards up the road from me only get onto me if I don't pick up the alcohol containers. Fast food boxes/cups, cigarette cartons, pizza boxes, etc are okay; they'll wash down eventually. But a Bud Light can... I better put on my rubber boots and get them out, somebody will see that.
grin.gif


My church does roadside cleanup here about once a year. In only 2 miles, there's usually 2 or 3 full sized pickup loads of trash to collect. Sad.


My grandparents grew up way before the EPA even existed. They would throw anything out of their vehicles! Gum wrappers, napkins, cups, you name it. (They didn’t smoke, though.) I finally got them to stop.
 
There are two lakes in the subdivision that I run around nearly daily and I will pick up loose trash (typically blown out of someone's back yard) and toss in the bins that are situated around the lakes.
 
I actually enjoy picking up trash around our lake. It gives me a good feeling.

Not a good feeling about the "interesting" people that throw trash in and around the lake but about me helping keep the lake clean.
 
My wife and I take a two mile round trip walk everday down a pasture road to the main road and back. Our road is lightly traveled. When we first started walking we couldn't believe the amount of trash we saw along our path. We decided we try to clean it up a little. The first day we filled three contractor size bags with trash. Over the past two and a half years we've proudly cleaned this stretch to the point we carry a small, walmart-sized bag and pick up the occassional trash some cabin renter might dump out the window. We are not by any means what I consider "eco" maniacs. We just like an aesthetically pleasing walk without feeling like we're walking across a city landfill.
 
I used to live on a dirt road where people would drive their pickup trucks full of trash down the road and dump it in the woods.

I wouldn't touch their trash, but I'd usually get a plate and vehicle description, which usually got them pulled over and a decent sized fine. The town cops also stepped up their presence in the area.

My neighbor owned a farm and most of the land on the whole street. He was a very nice guy (I worked for him for years) but was an ex-marine and not someone you messed with. He wasn't as nice when he found people dumping trash on what was technically his land. He stopped some guy in a truck who was dumping garbage and the guy gave him attitude. My neighbor pulled him out through his truck window and made him pick all of it up.
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Originally Posted By: grampi
The lazy idiots that get me are the ones who leave a beverage cup or plastic bottle sitting upright in a parking lot...I always pick them up and throw them away...or the posterior heads who dump their ashtrays in parking lots...


Add to that, dirty diapers. People are just plain nasty.
 
About once a month I'll grab a bucket and pick up the trash in our immediate neighborhood. I think it sets a good example. It keeps our neighborhood from looking like appalachia.

It's sad that sometimes I'll see fast food containers tossed on the street. My catholic school upbringing taught me at an early age not to litter. Keep the litter in your car or in your pocket until you get to a trash bin. I make a habit to collect the litter and dispose it when I'm filling up at the gas station.
 
Yes, esp when it's a tripping hazard for people like the older folks. Or when a mat is bunched up by the door. Otherwise and older person can fall and break their hip. Then go to the hospital then nursing home etc.
 
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