LITTER BUG!!

Recently in the News Response Forum posters have been discussing whether or not Queen Street is as clean as it could be.

Some posters – myself included – insist that the downtown shopping district is relatively clean and well cared-for, with a City employee on daily trash patrol, and merchants keeping things tidy in front of their stores.

There is a problem, however: some people are just too flippin’ lazy and inconsiderate to put their garbage in the trash bins that are provided.

And it’s not just downtown – all over the city people are tossing their trash on the ground, sometimes throwing it out of car windows, apparently unconcerned of how this affects our city’s appearance, nor the inconvenience this causes others.

I discussed this in a column a couple of years ago, which I offer again here.

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Do you remember the "LitterBug" anti-litter campaigns of the 60s and 70s? Well, they’re back… and it’s about time, too!

In 2004 the City of Mississauga re-introduced the "Don’t Be A LitterBug" campaign, including an updated LitterBug logo, to try and combat this growing menace. The program has since spread to other areas of the province. I say we need to get the program running here, too.

I’ve read numerous comments on this site and in the print media from people denouncing fast-food restaurant chains for the amount of trash — bags, cups, wrappers, etc — that they see on lawns and roadsides. If I may borrow a phrase from the NRA: Restaurants don’t litter. People litter.

Mississauga has introduced a municipal version of the "Adopt-a-Highway" program. Community and business groups can register to adopt specific areas of the city to keep clean. However, as the website also points out, the real solution to keeping the city clean is changing people’s habits.

Having grown up during the LitterBug campaign of the 60s, and because that's just the way I was raised, it wouldn’t even occur to me to just drop a piece of trash on the ground. Whether it is a candy wrapper, an empty drink container, or something larger, I’ve always felt that if I was able to carry it as far as I did, I could carry it until I got to a trash can.

So, who litters? Kids and adults from all walks of life.

I’ve watched people buy a fast-food meal at a drive-thru, eat in the parking lot, and then open the door and place the bag — stuffed with wrappers and empty drink cups — under their car before driving away.

I’ve watched kids pull a juice box of their backpacks, drink the juice, and then drop the empty box onto the sidewalk.

I’ve watched smokers take the last cigarette from their pack and toss the empty package on the ground. That they toss their butts on the ground has always puzzled me: what do they think will happen to them?

But why do these people do this? Do they believe that "someone else" will clean it up? Do they just not care? Is it just a lack of respect for their community and the environment?

It’s ironic, really, that there is so much interest in the global environment, and yet so little care is being shown for our immediate surroundings.

Is litter really such a big deal? In a word, yes.

Litter may not seem to be as big a problem as climate change and pollution, but it is a significant problem that affects everyone in the community.

In a community that places a high value on tourism, having a litter problem is a big deal. Tourists will notice litter in a community, and interpret that as a lack of civic pride. It isn’t long before a community gets a reputation for being "dirty."

So, what are we to do about this problem?

For starters — and I know this seems obvious — don’t be a LitterBug!

• Hold on to your garbage until you find a trash can.

• Use returnable, reusable or refillable drink containers or bring your own cup.

• Use a litterbag in your vehicle.

• Don’t put your garbage out for collection the night before pickup; wait until morning to bring it to the curb, and make sure all lids and items in recycling boxes are secure.

• Enlist the support of your neighbours. Successful litter control must be a continuous, ongoing effort which involves the entire community - from youth to seniors, business, community groups and the media.

• Set a good example. Don't be a Litterbug, and spread the word about the problems caused by littering.


I hear so many people talk about what a great place the Sault is to live, work and play. We are justifiably proud of our community, so let’s work together to help clean it up and keep it clean.

But… that’s just my opinion.



Check out the Mississauga Anti-Litter Campaign website…

…and, the Litter Free Thunder Bay website.