Here’s a quick reminder that if you see some litter, you can just pick it up.
But It’s Not My Garbage
True. But you likely have accidentally left garbage somewhere else. Receipts escape our pockets, wrappers fall out of cars and the wind takes everything it can. No one is 100% litterless here.
When I was in elementary school, every now and then we were required to pick up 5 pieces of garbage at the end of recess. I remember being shocked that I had to pick up other people’s garbage especially since I wasn’t a litter bug. I was even part of the environmental club and was already doing my part. But it was a quick lesson learned. Every kid did it, it took 3 seconds to find the garbage and our playground was cleaner which meant no falling into a mushy old juice box or left or granola bar crawling with ants.
What If It’s Gross?
Then leave it alone. Body fluid stuff is def not your responsibility and broken glass or syringes are dangerous so stay away from those too. But a chip bag? Coffee cup? Just pick it up. Besides you’re never that far away from somewhere to dispose of them properly. If you do find a used syringe, please call the hotline at 604.657.6561 or email needlevan@phs.ca and they will college and dispose of it safely.
It’s not enough to just not be a litter bug yourself, we have to anti-littering and clean up our shared spaces. Let’s do this together!
What about you? Do you pick up garbage when you see it?
