LITTER, TRASH, ILLEGAL DUMPING ISSUES NEED TO BE COVERED MORE BY THE LOCAL PAPERS—AND THE CITY NEEDS TO BE ASSERTIVE IN ADDRESSING AND BEING PRO-ACTIVE ABOUT SOLVING THE PROBLEM.
I have a story idea that needs attention drawn to it:
How about the litter/trash/debris problem all over all the corridors into the city on the highways. In ditches, under embankments, bridges, waterways, along shoulders, in medians, and the list could go on. This cost Ohio 3 to 4 million last year to clean up—mostly because people have still not learned what a trash/recycling can is for. Should have learned that 38 years ago when the Indian cried on the commercial.
If we have not even learned how the above situation leads to a declining quality of life, property value, bad images, etc. then its hopeless. The burning river cast a grim shadow on our city in the past—we know the struggle it has been to take years to shed this image, as much of it still exists—so why are we inviting, and leaving go unabated, yet another legacy of community and environmental abuse that will secure another 50 plus years of Cleveland bad mouthing?
C’mon people, pitch in and get with it! C’mon PD…ADDRESS this issue and offer solutions. All those who participate in clean-ups once a year is not enough. To make this problem better, we need to make keeping after it a lifestyle–and maybe start reminding people that dumping/littering in OHIO is illegal–and Cleveland is not exempt. While the problem is pervasive, can we spare the complacent comments like “Weeelll.. its everywhere” and at least do OUR part to clean up our corner of the state?
This problem is among the first things people will notice when coming into our region/city… and it casts a strong message about where the civic pride has gone and a lack of respect for the environment as well–at a time when we should darn well know better to at least be able to curb this very preventable problem. It is quite embarrassing.
Is this the image we want to project of ourselves to all who come here—especially during the Rock Hall inductions? It is bad enough we have to continually clean up after people in neighborhoods who find it convenient to pull up along a curb and dump their McDonald’s trash onto someone’s tree strip, let alone all the crap that does not adequately get cleaned up on the main streams into the city.
Just because times are tough, just because there is poverty, and just because people may be stupid……does not mean we have to look as though we play the part perfectly; being slobs! Hey Cleveland… Get this.. CIVIC PRIDE is FREE!!! Doesn’t cost a DIME to embrace it and start using it, no matter what walk of life you come from—but it costs all of us millions when we DON’T exercise this pride!
Adopting such pride again means we foster a populous that will not allow the kinds of things to happen that end up tearing down a city and region in the first place; the kinds of things people spend all day winging about on these posts, but offer to do NOTHING about, and instead become a part of the problem by telling everyone how they cannot wait to take the next train out of here!
Please cover the trash/litter, illegal dumping issues, PD.
Posted by Angry Man In The Basement at 8:39 AM