I’m coming clean on littering
I’m coming clean: I hate trash.
At least twice a day, my dog Daisy and I (poopy bag in hand), do our daily strolls to the parks around the Peabody school on Rindge Avenue. With her hypervigilant nose, Daisy sniffs out every bit of windswept trash wantonly strewn on and around the school grounds. It’s the detritus of kid-commercial food worthy of Michael Pollan’s scrutiny and wrath. Ground underfoot, frozen, sanded and de-iced are wrappers, containers and empty bottles, as well as a robust assortment of discarded paper, lost pencils and pens. Tail wagging, Daisy sniffs chip bags, candy wrappers, giant Dunkin’ Donut cups, flavored energy drink bottles, soda cans, gum wrappers, plastic forks, cigarette boxes, plastic bags and Styrofoam food containers.
Our trash collectors are hard-working and diligent, but not always the tidiest. Trash does spill when barrels are upended and emptied on collection day. But the trash I am talking about doesn’t just accumulate where the bins are. It surrounds the school like a moat.
I concede, with Daisy’s approval, I am a trash hound. I not only pick up loose trash while walking to and from the parks, but I expect the same from others. (Just ask my kids.)
One day, while walking on the Yerxa side of the Peabody, this boy tosses his empty juice pouch to the ground. If he had extended his arm, he could have swooshed it into the trash can. Incredulous, I stop, as does Daisy. He catches our slack-jawed stare. “Please pick it up,” I say. We each stand our ground. It was a showdown — some kind of macho cool trying to best the mama in me. His eyes trained on mine, he shuffled; he stared; he walked in a circle. Finally, he bent over, picked up the empty pouch, and threw it into the trash. Triumphantly Daisy looked at me, wagged her tail, and we moved on.
But since when did throwing out trash become a power struggle? Why do kids, or adults for that matter, think it okay to just toss trash on the ground? Where is the pride?
I think it’s time for good citizenry. I offer the greenest, cheapest, most efficient, best teaching-moment solution available: Designate trash pickup days. Why not assign the kids to patrol their schoolyards and pick up all the trash they thoughtlessly tossed to the ground? Protective gloves and paper bags are recyclable and cheap. Pick up trash once a month; once a week; assign by grade? It’s a nasty job that I bet will get old pretty quickly.
As Daisy would say: If you don’t like picking up trash, don’t toss it on the ground.
Woof.
Fran Cronin, North Cambridge dog walker
I drafted a letter a few months ago to the DPW and the city councilors about our dirty streets. Fran Cronin’s letter has inspired me to finish and mail it. Here it is:
February 24, 2011
Ms. Lisa Peterson
Commisioner
Public Works Department
147 Hampshire Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
Re: Trash and litter on our streets and sidewalks
Dear Ms. Peterson,
When I first bought my condo in Cambridge 15 years ago, I was concerned about the prevalence of trash and litter on my street (Upland Road in Porter Square), especially after I saw a rat scampering across the road, and I wrote to all the city councillors asking if they could use their influence to have the city’s anti-littering ordinance enforced. Only one councillor responded, saying she had introduced a resolution requesting that the city look into it. This was about as effective as you might imagine. A few times since, I have called the Public Works Department about the property that’s the worst offender on my street, which usually results in some very short-lived improvement at that property (an apartment building and the adjacent alley containing often-overflowing dumpsters next to Brueggers Bagels). But basically nothing has changed in 15 years. Other neighborhoods in Cambridge are no cleaner than mine and often worse. Walking down Mass. Ave. is a disheartening experience, so polluted is our main street with cigarette butts and all manner of trash.
The Municipal Code of Cambridge prohibits individuals from littering and also states that property owners are required to keep the sidewalks and gutters adjacent to their property free of litter. The Code includes an enforcement provision. (Please see Chapter 8.24, Sections 170, 180, and 260, described below.)
Attempting to cite every individual who deposits a cigarette butt or food wrapper in the street would be impractical, but I believe if the city enforced the property owners’ provisions as aggressively as they do illegal parking, Cambridge could quickly become the cleanest city in the Commonwealth.
As a citizen concerned with the quality of life in our city, I request that our municpal authorities begin taking steps immediately to enforce these litter control provisions. A letter should be sent to all property owners informing them of the city’s intent to begin imposing fines on non-compliant owners, in accordance with Chapter 24 Section 260. I also request the enforcement by the city of section 230 providing for Publicity and a Citizen Information Service, also described below.
I would appreciate a response to this letter.
Sincerely,
Marjorie Yates
Relevant sections of the Cambridge Municipal Code:
8.24.170 Litter–Pedestrians on public property.
No person shall throw or deposit litter in or upon any street, sidewalk, square, playground, park or other public place except in authorized public or private litter receptacles.
(Ord. 1152 (part), 1993: prior code § 17-73(a))
8.24.180 Litter–Pedestrians on private property.
No person shall throw or deposit litter on any occupied, open or vacant private property, whether or not occupied by such person, except in authorized private litter receptacles or authorized private rubbish receptacles.
(Ord. 1152 (part), 1993: prior code § 17-73(c))
8.24.040 Private property owners and occupants–Keeping premises and adjacent areas free of litter.
A. Maintenance of Private Property. Every owner or occupant of private property shall maintain his property free of any accumulation of litter, and shall prevent any litter from escaping to any other public or private property.
B. Maintenance of Sidewalks.
1. Every owner or occupant of private property bordering on a street where there is a public or private sidewalk or footway shall maintain such sidewalk or footway and the adjoining gutter to the center of the street free of litter.
2. Every owner or occupant of private property shall cut and dispose of weeds in any yard area or vacant lot, or around any public or private property.
3. No person shall sweep into or deposit in any gutter, street, square or other public place the accumulation of litter from any building or lot, or from any public or private sidewalk, footway or driveway.
C. Litter From Residential, Commercial or Nonprofit Establishments.
1. Litter from residential, commercial or nonprofit establishments shall not be thrown or deposited in any public litter receptacles by the owners, occupants, employees or agents of the residential, commercial or non-profit establishments.
2. Commercial or nonprofit establishments may maintain authorized litter receptacles for the use of the general public outdoors on private property or on the adjoining sidewalk in a manner not to inconvenience the use of the sidewalk by pedestrians. The establishments are encouraged to identify such authorized litter receptacles as described in Section 8.24.020 of this chapter and the establishment shall cause the receptacles to be emptied regularly.
(Ord. 1152 (part), 1993: prior code § 17-75)
(Ord. 1310, Amended, 10/29/2007)
8.24.260 Violation–Penalty.
A. Criminal Penalty. Any person who violates any section of this chapter shall be subject to a fine not exceeding three hundred dollars. Each day’s violation shall constitute a separate offense.
B. Noncriminal Disposition. Whoever violates any provision of this chapter may be penalized by a noncriminal disposition as provided in G.L. c. 40, § 21D. For purposes of this section, the Commissioner of Public Works shall be the enforcing officer, except that t
he Commissioner may delegate his enforcing authority to designated Public Works Enforcement Officers and the Commissioner of Inspectional Services and his designees. The penalty for each violation shall not exceed three hundred dollars. Each day’s violation shall constitute a separate violation.
(Ord. 1152 (part), 1993: Ord. 1084 § 3, 1989)
(Ord. 1310, Amended, 10/29/2007)
8.24.230 Publicity–Citizen information service.
A. The City shall publicize the provisions of this chapter through the media of signs, advertisements, flyers, leaflets, announcements on radios and television, newspaper articles and through any other appropriate means, so that all citizens will have the opportunity to become informed about the legal duties of property owners and occupants, pedestrians and motorists, and about the City recycling, refuse and anti-litter services.
B. The City shall maintain a citizen information service information and complaints about litter, recycling, refuse and snow removal problems.
(Ord. 1152 (part), 1993: prior code § 17-82)
CC by e-mail:
E. Denise Simmons- dsimmons @cambridgema.gov
Sam Seidel- [email protected]
Henrietta Davis- [email protected]
Marjorie C [email protected]
Craig A Kelley- [email protected]
David P Maher- [email protected]
Kenneth E. Reeves- [email protected]
Timothy J. Toomey, [email protected]
Leland Cheung- [email protected]
I hope anyone who would like to see cleaner streets and think city government should enforce the law will add their voices by contacting the DPW and the city council.