Alderwoman Jeanne Kliejunas addresses Litterbugs
Were you ever asked to clean up after someone who was careless? Wasn’t it extra work that you didn’t appreciate? Whenever I complained to my mom about picking up after other people, she would say the mess is there, so just clean it up.
In September 2009, at least two local groups gathered to pick up trash from the city beaches and neighborhoods. Great Lakes Conservancy, the Sheboygan River Basin Partnership, the Chamber of Commerce, Wisconsin Harbor Towns Association, and the City of Sheboygan organized 71 volunteers for a “Beach Sweep” on Saturday, Sept. 12, which coincided with an international shore clean-up event held all over the world. On Saturday, Sept. 26, a group of volunteers sponsored by Praise Fellowship Church combed a swath of midtown Sheboygan picking up bags of trash and recyclables.
Both groups volunteered to pick up after others – they were not ordered to do this. Why are some people willing to pick up trash that others thoughtlessly toss out on the street, in the parks, and in their own yards? These volunteers have pride in their city; they cherish living things and the environment which suffer from garbage and pollution.
The Beach Sweep collected 7,521 cigarette butts, 275 beverage cans, 175 plastic beverage bottles, 186 cups, plates and plasticware, 808 food wrappers, 585 caps and lids, 6 diapers, 3 tires, 1 syringe, 45 shot gun shells, and 1 bowling ball. Over 620 pounds of garbage were collected that morning between 9 a.m. and noon.
Cigarette butts are a constant on the beach because street debris washes through the storm water system during a heavy rain and gets deposited on the beach. Cigarette filters are almost indestructible – they float, they clog, they sit on the beach year-round. When I see a cigarette flicked out a car window, I wonder if I’ll be picking it up at the beach next September.
As a kid, I thought it was almost a sin to throw something on the ground. All the kids who participated in the clean-up events in September also know that it’s wrong to litter. It would be great if everyone acknowledged this and cared enough to put trash in the right place.
Ain’t so?
