Show Pride in Detroit, Don't Litter

We all see the signs that say "Report Littering, Call 1-800-44-TRASH," but how many of us actually call people in when we see them litter?  More importantly, how many of us litter.  It's a growing problem and an embarrassment everywhere, not just Detroit.  But we can all do something about it.  Keep our trash to ourselves in our vehicle and throw it away in a trash can.

There is currently a Spring Cleaning going on as reported by The Free Press, and this is admirable, but wouldn't it be more admirable if we would all just stop throwing trash onto the roads and sidewalks?  Even cigarette butts are litter.  I participated in an Adopt-A-Highway event and saw hundreds more butts than you can see while passing by.  They can take up to 17 years to decompose and they contain toxic chemicals, (the ones that stay in the butt after polluting the air and people's lungs).  To put the magnitude of the problem in perspective, nearly a ton of litter is thrown onto each mile of our U.S. interstates each year... one piece at a time.

If you are proud of your city, show it.  Visitors don't think any more of Detroit when they see wrappers, trash or car parts at the side of the road.  Trash bags full of litter during clean-up day don't help either.

If you want to help clean up, here are some contact websites...
City of Detroit  http://www.ci.detroit.mi.us/default.htm
MDOT Adopt A Highway  http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,1607,7-151-9621_11041_14408-29047--,00.html

But remember, the best way to keep the area clean is to not get it dirty in the first place.

- Atul

Comments

[Nidhi]

I really like this post esp' this sentance "But remember, the best way to keep the area clean is to not get it dirty in the first place"

[downwithdetroit.com]

Hear, hear! We here at downwithdetroit.com are also crusaders for a cleaner Detroit!
I wanted to thank you for writing about this, and for the links you provided. Hopefully some people will take some action!

We made a "Love Detroit: don't litter t-shirt" to get our part kicked off in the right direction.

Holla!

[Mac]

Good points made here.

East of the RenCen they've just this week put down a new surface of tarmac. But already it's dangerous to ride along due to the amount of smashed glass from vodka bottles and beer bottles thrown out of car windows!

This is not a good way to show pride in our city.

[Atul]

Mac,

Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I'll have to check out the RenCen pathway, but I'm not surprised it's already being littered with items. Litter is a symptom of lack of pride and once others litter, it makes it easier for additional people to be alright with littering too.

Nice blog by the way. I like to bicycle, but can't get the nerve to commute on bike from Royal Oak to Redford. It seems too dangerous and a bit too far. Do you know about www.bikely.com? Check it out.

Atul