A baby step forward in war against litter

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Good afternoon,

Last week, public officials from both parties announced the   “Keep DE Litter Free” campaign.

It has been clear in recent years that the litter problem is out of control and a public awareness effort is needed.

The tons  of  litter have become a drawback in efforts to bring businesses to the state.

The problem is not confined to Delaware. Neighboring Philadelphia, which is working to address its situation that led to the city being labeled  “Filthadelphia.” To his credit, Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki is placing a great emphasis on clean-up efforts. 

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The response to litter has been sporadic in the past several years.  During the spring and summer,  efforts by the Delaware Department of Transportation and the return of the foliage reduce but don’t eliminate the problem.

We do see notable successes like the  Christina River and beach clean-ups.

Compounding the problem is illegal dumping that includes everything from couches to tires.

Delaware’s litter problem is one of the side effects of a state that has avoided tough choices over the years.

The Delaware Solid Waste Authority and the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control came up with an efficient landfill system but punted on yard waste as it became clear that the costs of using landfills for all waste were getting out of hand.

The lack of townships or other smaller units of government saves on taxes but  also makes it difficult to determine who is not paying for refuse service in rural or suburban areas. Counties have only limited power in dealing with litter.

Rather than paying the trash hauler (free yard waste drop off sites have virtually disappeared in northern Delaware)  residents of some subdivisions now use the right of way or open space to dump yard waste. The piles become a home for vermin and capture plastic and fast food bags that blow around on windy days.

A bill that would outlaw one-use plastic bags is a start, although such measures  face a lot of resistance. Taxing the bags and using proceeds on clean-up efforts is another possibility.

Occasional dumpster days for yard and other types of waste that do  not go  out with household trash are other possibilities

In the end, it comes down to behavior. Stiff penalties for littering and mandatory roadside clean-up work for offenders are options.

The excuses have to end.  One comment on our Facebook site seemed to claim  that nothing should be done until the opioid crisis is addressed. My response was that we can do more than one thing at a time.

One starting point is school. Children are quick to embrace a cleaner world and if our current system can take a moment to focus away from its compulsion on standardized testing, a modest civic education effort  would produce results.  A comprehensive marketing campaign that cuts across all media is another option.

 “Keep DE Litter Free” is a start, but for now it is only a branding effort.  The business, education and nonprofit communities should get behind expansion of the effort and help  make the state stand out when compared its neighbors. 

Here’s to a drier week that got off to a poor start when both the Dover NASCAR and Winterthur Point-to-Point races were rained out on Sunday. 

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