Picking up litter more than a spring sport

I have some thoughts I would like very much to share with you and your readers. It involves highway trash (”garbage” in Spain, “litter”’ in much of the U.S.)  Picking up is not just a spring sport.

For a number of years I have found great joy picking up our roads and highways. It started when I was a biology teacher in Newport, Wash., and has continued to this day. The Newport teachers had a two-mile stretch of highway and when I had some spare time I went forth to make the beautiful Northwest just a little more beautiful. Today two of my friends have a mile of highway dedicated to their loved ones and I really love to help them out. I enjoy putting several plastic sacks on my belt and one in hand, going forth and cleaning the highways of litter.

In my cleanup I have come up with a couple of rules that I try to follow. Some are intelligent and others are supposed to be funnys. These then are the Wendle rules for litter pick up.

• Never identify what you are picking up.

• Pick up in high visual areas where people can see you. (I broke this rule this day and over a steep embankment I picked up about 100 yards unseen. It was not bad at all.)

• Leave dead animals alone.

• Wear gloves.

• Always make like your bag is heavy. (A slight limp is good but do not overdo.)

• You can pick up a piece of litter several times (Looks good.)

• Do pick up on late Friday as the highway crew will not get your bags taken away until Monday. (Our highway crews are so fast that they seem to have my bags collected before I even get them filled.)

• Celebrate with Styrofoam litter (very light and fills the bag.)

• Bottles are heavy but you need to pick them up.

• If a bottle is partially filled you should open and dump it; however, sometimes this is very messy (I will not even go there.)

• I mostly find Marlboro cigarette packs. So many that I have decided that all smokers smoke this brand.

• And finally, the most upsetting rule: When you drive the stretch of highway you picked up the next day, expect to see that someone has thrown their litter on your freshly cleaned up area. (This seems to be a given.)  It was again this morning.

I was up Johnson Creek the other day and what garbage has been left in our mountains. Truck loads. It was totally unreal.

What can you do?

Driving down the road and seeing litter, then seeing it in your rear view mirror, do not expect someone else should pick it up. It may very well be there the next time you pass. Honk and give a thumbs up to people picking up litter. Don’t stop in the road to say ‘thanks.’  A simple honk will do. (A lady came out on her porch and hollered, “Thank you.”  Made my day.)  If you like to walk, then carry a plastic bag. (I honestly dislike a whole lot walking down the road for “exercise.”)

Lastly, please don’t litter.

I amuse myself thinking the people driving by are probably thinking that they are seeing a  high school dropout with not a lot  of education and little in the way of job skills. I did graduate from Sandpoint High school and have a doctorate in biology.

I hope you will enjoy your litter picking outing.

Dr. MARK WENDLE

Hope