Opinion

OUR OPINION: LITTER CLEANUPS

April 15, 2010

Help neaten up the neighborhood

SHOW YOUR PRIDE in Northeastern Pennsylvania, particularly your favorite corner of it, by making sure it’s trash-free.

Volunteer crews will assemble later this month at parks, playgrounds, roadsides and other public spaces to rid them of litter – part of a spring ritual known as the Great American Cleanup. These events not only leave our landscape looking better, they also help to build community spirit.

Organizers of cleanups concentrated in Lackawanna County hope to muster the muscle power of 500 participants. The Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce typically succeeds in dispatching about 2,000 volunteer helpers during its one-day, debris-bagging blitz.

Elsewhere in Luzerne County, do-good groups and businesses plan to conduct smaller cleanups in many communities: Wilkes-Barre, Dupont, Freeland and townships such as Ross, Hazle, Newport and Bear Creek. Get specifics about dates and times – and alert site coordinators of your participation – by visiting this Web address, www.gacofpa.org, or by calling 1-877-772-3673 ext. 113.

If your neighborhood isn’t listed, gather a few friends, co-workers or fellow club members, and register your own cleanup. Groups that sign up for the late-April activity are eligible for free supplies, such as safety vests, garbage bags and gloves, as well as free hauling services.

No one relishes the thought of handling other people’s discarded cigarette cartons, beer bottles and soda cans. But, over a year’s time, litterbugs, accidental spillers and deliberate dumpers leave a blemish on certain outdoor spaces that can’t – or at least shouldn’t – be ignored.

So, get involved. It’s not a matter of whether you’re an Earth Day advocate or diehard environmentalist. It’s a matter of having respect for yourself and the place you call home.

Please pitch in.

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