Please make an effort

To the Editor:

I just returned from the Pike County Democratic Committee’s annual road clean-up on Route 739 in Dingmans Township and had to ask myself, why am I doing this for two hours on a Sunday?.

Two of us were assigned a quarter mile section of 739 and in a little over two hours filled 12 large back garbage bags with trash that was intentionally thrown on the sides of the road; it didn’t get there by itself, it was deposited there by drivers who are apparently too lazy to take their trash home or leave it in their vehicle until they find an appropriate place to put it.

The most disturbing part of this is the utter disregard, disrespect and lack of understanding of the environment that all of us live in, look at and hopefully appreciate every day in this beautiful part of Pennsylvania. The trash speaks for itself; beer cans and bottles, 100s of cigarette butts, dirty diapers, a large changing table diaper pad, plastic water bottles, McDonald’s food wrappers and styrofoam cups, large pieces of styrofoam, car parts, including what appeared to be a bumper, a license plate and a full set of hubcabs in four distinct locations, small liquor bottles, plastic and reusable shopping bags and household trash. Besides the obvious eyesore, much of this ends up polluting our streams and rivers as it eventually gets washed away and the rest, all of which is not biodegradeable, remains in the ground for many years, eventually breaking down and polluting the soil.

While we all struggle with political division in our country, keeping our own area clean is not a divisive issue and should be an easy task for everyone to accomplish if people would just take a few seconds to think before they toss. It’s really not that difficult and makes a huge difference.

To answer my own question of why do I do it, I value the environment in which I live, I like swimming in clean lakes and rivers, I don’t like driving down a road and seeing trash everywhere and most importantly, we only have one earth and I’d like to see future generations be able to enjoy it as all of us have.

We can do better folks and we really have to, its our earth and our planet, please make an effort.

Jerry Weinstock

Milford. PA

917-697-0843