The letter from Kathy Morris that appears on this page highlights an often overlooked problem in our community: litter and trash dropped along our streets, sidewalks, and highways.
We live in a National Scenic Area, yet the unappealing, unnecessary presence of litter has become all too common. Paper, fast food wrappers, cans, bottles, cigarette butts, and other junk mar our city sidewalks and landscaping. Trash routinely blows out of some of the pickup trucks on their way to the Transfer Station north of BZ Corner, leaving a wake of litter along the highway routes to the facility.
That litter might seem innocuous to some. But remember, this region relies quite a bit on tourism for its economic health. The presence of trash can discourage people from returning. It's a significant quality of life issue.
Travelers are initially attracted to the Columbia River Gorge due to its scenic wonders. But if the scenic highways are lined with junk, that is a blight that does not go unnoticed.
What is required is awareness on the part of all of us: residents and business owners, county officials and city staff, motorists and hikers. We can take the time to pick up and discard the litter that we find outside our homes or businesses.
Motorists should keep a trash receptacle in the car -- in fact, that is a state law.
Public works employees for the cities and the county can make sure garbage cans are handy in public areas, and see that they get emptied once a week.
To those driving out to the Transfer Station to dump trash: Please get a tarp and tie the loads securely; it doesn't take that much extra effort. Law enforcement officials also need to keep this problem in mind. If a deputy out on patrol happens to get behind a rig and sees trash blowing out of it, a ticket for littering is certainly in order. It doesn't matter if a driver throws a can of Coke out his window deliberately or if tin cans are bouncing out from the back as he goes. The result is the same.
Another sad reality of litter is that it begets more litter. Studies have demonstrated that people are less likely to leave their trash in an area that is clean; yet people sometimes apparently figure leaving a bit more won't hurt if garbage is already present.
As with most problems, litter is easier and cheaper to prevent in the first place, rather than having to clean it up.
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