Aftermath

Referencing my previous post, the "culprit" waited until dark of night; and so continues to be an unknown. but at least they DID step up to the... well, plate,...and um, cans, jars, bottles, etc, etc.--and picked up their mess of wrongly-contained-recyclables that caused such a mess in the neighborhood all day Friday. i strongly suspect that the visit from the police, who as i admitted, i wanted to call but didn't, may have had much to do with the after-dark clean-up.

if this had been an isolated case it would've been less disturbing, but the township has regulations of how and when to put refuse/recyclables curbside for collection and these same unknown neighbors never comply. bags, cans and spilled messes often sit out for days and weeks. animals tear them open and wind blows their messes on others' property for them to handle and discard (properly).

what happened to the days when neighbors took great pride in their neighborhood? remember the good old fashioned corn-straw brooms with sturdy wooden handle? (they're quite costly nowaday, but work so much better than the flimsy little plastic excuses-of-a-broom now sold.) it was never unusual to see neighbors out sweeping their sidewalk or driveway, or city pavement. i have even been known to sweep the street in front of my house on many occasions. why? because (a) it needs it, and (b) it shows concern for others and expresses my care of where i live. it is not a pleasant task to be outdoors picking up cigarette butts that careless people (and i know who you are!) throw down haphazardly. and don't get me started on how gross it is when people let their dogs leave a huge pile of you-know-what in my grass! where is common courtesy that these folk just don't care? what, if anything, are they thinking, as they stand holding a dog leash in their hand, staring intently and purposely in the opposite direction as if they have no clue why their dog has paused and squatted? (and then just walk away and leave its donation!) there is an animal litter law but it's one of those things that i imagine if we each had a nickel for every time it is enforced, we'd have...well, a nickel.

we as a people have become very lax and lazy in putting trash in its place. it used to bother me when i'd walk at lunch time over in the big city and see an adult come out of a store, unwrap something and just toss the wrapper on the sidewalk. and have you ever noticed those countless ugly dark circles on the sidewalk where ignorant people have discarded chewing gum and it has been stepped on? have you ever had the disgusting job of cleaning off your shoe, after having stepped in someone else's gum...or worse, the dog pile?

perhaps in the larger scheme of things, and all the major problems our world is faced with, the proper discarding of trash, gum, animal waste and recycles is but a blip on the radar screen. but i think that it is a sad comment on us as human beings that some have lost the feeling of pride and respect of property...theirs' and others'. i say, we all get out our broom and start sweeping! let's raise a little dust! imagine the JOY of a clean neighborhood!

Trash Recycle Sweep Clean+Neighborhood