A single-use plastic bag was found at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. Microplastics have been found in the snow at the top of Mount Everest. Where humans go, litter is sure to follow.
But we’re not going to those remote areas, and we’re unlikely to be able to do anything about litter in those places, despite how disturbing the situation may be. With that distance from the problems and the inability to solve them, it becomes natural to want to switch the channel, change the conversation, or skip to another, more uplifting article.
But all that is about somewhere else. Litter is local and right here in Leaside.
“I don’t see much litter in Leaside,” you might say. But a walk down Bayview or through the commercial areas east of Laird will undoubtedly reveal litter or “re-garbage,” litter that was once in a bin or dumpster and now blown out or removed and displaced by animals.
You might say, “This is not my issue,” and “my own environment is free of litter.”
To that I say that Leaside, as a proud, strong community, is the broader environment lived in, so it’s everyone’s issue.
“Why does a little litter even matter?” is another oft-asked question. Leaside’s elevation above sea level is about 450 feet. The elevation at the shore of Lake Ontario is about 250 feet. Everything that goes into the water systems heads downhill from Leaside.
Geoff Kettel wrote an article in June 2015 for Leaside Life about the shallow water table and underground rivers. Litter can get into waterways above or below ground through stormwater systems, sewer overflows, wind, and groundwater seepage, like toxins and microplastics from cigarette butts.
Those who toss litter seem not to be making the connection that we are all part of nature. That is why plastic litter is in the food chain and finds its way right back inside us.
Recently, a Grade 4 class asked their teacher to have someone come in and speak to them about litter. A friend and I were invited to address this young crowd. At the end, a boy put up his hand and said, wisely, “The city sends trucks each week to pick up our garbage. They can’t do it all; we have to help, too.”
A group of committed Leaside residents is launching a 12-month program to do just that – keep Leaside beautiful – one year of less litter in Leaside, beginning this month.
We are calling it Don’t Mess With Leaside.
There will be a formal launch in the spring, with scheduled litter pickups, with details to follow. Stay tuned! We will need some Litter Leaders to help ensure safety for all and successful pickups.
We could kick that litter down the street, walk around it, or pick it up. We hope you will join us in doing much more picking up over the coming months!
Don’t Mess With Leaside means don’t litter!
This article was guest contributed by John Scott. John doesn’t like litter where it shouldn’t be. He spent seven years volunteering and serving on the board of Don’t Mess with the Don, a grassroots group that began by taking thousands of pounds of litter from the Don Valley. To address behaviour change, John became the Canadian Ambassador for LitterLotto, a UK company that incentivized picking up litter and, through data collection, demonstrated behaviour change. John is on the City of Brampton Litter Reduction Working Group. And he helps other communities and organizations launch and grow effective litter-reduction initiatives.