Keep your butts and other litter off the street

By Ann Hicks

Did anyone notice the city of Arlington recently spent money running an ad reminding people not to discard their cigarette butts on the streets because they end up in our lakes, creeks and rivers -- our drinking water?

I get so sick of litter. I think it has continued to get worse over the years.

Go down West Harris Road or Turner Warnell Road between South Cooper Street and Calender Road. The people who live off those roads must get sick of the eyesore. It's as if someone purposely emptied trash bags from one end to the other.

How did so many people miss the memo while they were being raised that littering is a no-no? How many of you remember discarding a gum wrapper as a kid, only to be reprimanded as if you broke a commandment?

We were taught that spitting was crude. Spitting out gum onto the street was not polite because someone might step on it.

Is anyone still bringing up their kids that way? I have to wonder.

Do people think that parking lots and city streets are landfills or that the world is their ash tray?

Why do so many think it's up to others to pick up after them and that throwing stuff on the ground is no big deal? How can we return to a society that takes pride in personal responsibility?

The Texas Department of Transportation offers the Adopt-a-Highway program. If a group/organization adopts a two-mile stretch of a highway for a minimum of two years, they pick up litter on that stretch of road at least four times a year. Signs with the group's name are posted along the adopted area.

Churches sometimes rally their congregations for neighborhood cleanup days. Awhile back, a few people got together to organize a litter pickup day, focusing their efforts in north Arlington.

In addition to putting muscle to the problem, they set out to change people's mind-set. If 10 people picked up 10 pieces of trash, that would be 100 fewer pieces of trash. A hundred people each picking up 10 pieces equals 1,000 pieces of trash. The streets would clean up in no time.

Unfortunately, these good deeds are few and far between. Too many people contribute to the problem daily, and not enough are part of the solution.

Litter shouldn't even be a problem in a civilized society.

How do we retrain a generation that seems to have missed out on one of life's simplest lessons, personal responsibility? How do we get and keep our neighborhoods clean?

Do we put out more trash cans? Could it be that simple? Maybe those who litter would dispose of their trash properly if it were more convenient.

We could have a contest, sponsored by the city, inviting kids of all ages to come up with fun, artistic, bold and inviting garbage cans. Kids would vote on the coolest ones, and then the city could strategically place these cans in high-volume areas where the kids travel. While the kids are competing in the contest and designing garbage cans, they are simultaneously learning a lesson on personal responsibility.

Youth have to be a part of the solution. We must find a way to get them involved, to look beyond today, beyond themselves.

Until this happens, if you pass by an unsightly littered area, please call the city of Arlington's 24-hour hotline to report it. Call 817-459-6777.

I will report West Harris Road and Turner Warnell Road . Does anyone else want to make a call?

Ann Hicks of Arlington is a member of the 2012 Star-Telegram Community Columnist Panel. ahicks_1@sbcglobal.net

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