There is trash talk… and there is literal trash talk. While I am not known for the former, I have been known to discuss the latter. What got me started? The desecration of our beloved Seattle Parks by trash, drug paraphernalia and grafitti. Fed up with the parks’ demise, I started cleaning them up three years ago. Jackie and three others joined me this year. Now we are five of the 1,305 volunteers in Seattle’s Adopt-A-Street program https://atyourservice.seattle.gov/2021/04/15/join-the-adopt-a-street-program-today/
Why so much trash and grafitti? A large part of it is due to homeless encampments, sometimes up to a dozen in these two adjacent wooded parks. But as I have seen while picking up trash, not all who litter are homeless.
One day I saw a young couple get out of their hybrid Honda car to picnic in the park. When they were finished, they shoved their take-out boxes under the park bench they were sitting on. I asked them to dispose of them in nearby trash cans, which they did sheepishly. I have also found expensive beer cans, fine wine bottles, and gourmet cookie wrappers in these parks.
In the past year, my cohorts and I picked up 3,000 pounds of trash on our weekly walks. We also sent in more than 400 Find-it-and-Fix It notifications on the City App. About 60% of these resulted in clean-ups by the City. Additionally, I cleaned 20 grafitti-covered city signs with a can of “Goof Off” and a rag.
The trash we pick up consists of food and beverage containers, full dog poop bags, torn up and crumpled paper, drug paraphernalia ranging from meth and fentanyl smoking foil to needles for heroin users (one day I picked up seven!), to a bag of Fentanyl just 30 yards from a playground, and construction debris.
Does any of this make a difference? Absolutely! The minute we pick up the trash, the parks look better. I believe in the broken window theory. If you see a place that is trashed and neglected, that invites more of the same. If you see a place that is well cared for, with people visibly taking care of it, then that encourages responsible stewardship. In addition to park clean-ups, we also write letters to city parks and our elected officials, and have put forth a plan to improve the parks’ trail systems and the parks’ significant natural and human history components.
We can all make a difference. Humorist, author and devoted trash-picker David Sedaris says: “By picking up trash I can know that I am making the world a better place, that I’m adding value in a small way.” Sedaris counts his steps while picking up litter. So do I. Looking for a New Year’s Resolution? There must be a park near you that needs attention. You can get exercise and make the world a better place at the same time.
