Banner shows need for more education

Judging from the ditches and sidewalks around the Sandpoint area, picking up any amount of trash would be an improvement, but it would be ideal if people did not litter at all and prioritized recycling.

In the cartoon banner on Sunday’s paper (April 21, Bonner County Daily Bee), almost everything the children were picking up to put in the trash could have been recycled (metal cans, plastic bottle, brown paper bag). The front page article on Sunday, March 24, described the success of the Sandpoint recycling program, however the cartoon banner on last Sunday’s paper demonstrates how much more education is needed to change our assumptions, and challenge our intuition to just throw everything in the trash. It is time we take responsibility for ourselves to throw away the trash and recycle the recyclables, so that everyone can enjoy this beautiful place.

To those who participate in events like cleaning Sand Creek, adopting highways, or just pick up trash and recyclables when they create it or see it, our children and pets thank you.

DAVID and CAMILLE BALFANZ

Sandpoint