How to stop walking past garbage

Gail knows that sometimes you have to clean up other people's messes. (Credit: Manuel Sousa)

I can't bring myself to walk past trash. And it turns out, neither can my friend, colleague and Queen of Green Coach, Gail.

I saw her on my walk to work last week -- grabber and bag of garbage in hand. Not only was I happy to see the positive impact she was making, but I knew I wasn't alone AND I could see how proud she was to follow through on a pet peeve.

Gail shares why and how she stopped walking past garbage:

I'm grateful to live in Canada. Unlike in other places in the world, our rivers aren't choked with plastic, our city dwellers don't have to wear gas masks.

Not yet.

But lately I've noticed my beautiful city (Vancouver) falling victim to a creeping scourge: street litter.

It's not my trash. Thanks to recycling and composting, my life is practically garbage-free. But I live in a human community. And sometimes that means cleaning up other people's messes.

The first time I geared up to pick up trash in earnest, my usual 50-minute walk to work took almost three hours. That first haul, I filled a large, paper (why add to the plastic nightmare?) grocery bag with candy wrappers, elastic bands, twist ties, crushed beer cans, Tim Hortons and Starbucks cups and lids, and most of all -- by number not volume -- cigarette butts. It's amazing what people drop on the street, toss out car windows, even leave in their yards.

How to do this yourself:



Have boundaries. I stick to one side of the street and bypass overwhelmingly messy places like construction sites.
Use an arm extender grabber. That way, you don't have to actually touch any trash or bend over (saving your back). Switch hands occasionally.
Find an unhurried window of time. This can be a lovely, meditative walk outside!
If you're hard pressed for time, prioritize picking up plastic.
Stop when you have to (e.g., if you have to be somewhere else) or when you've had enough.

I probably cut quite the eccentric picture, with my Tilley hat, ergonomic backpack, arm extender grabber and brimming-with-garbage bag. I get noticed. (Dogs are particularly interested.) Some humans have even thanked me.

Once upon a time, people didn't have to help fellow creatures from falling victim to our garbage. I pick up what I can so at least this plastic straw won't end up in a turtle's nostril and that plastic bag won't be swallowed by a whale.

All over the world, places currently poisoned and polluted were once pristine. I don't want that to happen here.

Do you have strategies for keeping your block, neighbourhood and city litter-free...without burning out?

Sincerely,

Lindsay Coulter, a fellow Queen of Green

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