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Exactly what does this mean? Springtime Parade 2006. (Bob O'Lary)
Tallahassee needs to put more emphasis on cleanup of trashy roadsides and parks
Tallahassee is so full of trash
Its streets and its parks are awash
With litter unsightly
Thrown daily and nightly
By people who don’t care a dash
If you have any pride in your city
Pick it up, leave your neighborhood pretty
If you are annoyed
At what’s being destroyed
And you don’t act to help, that’s a pity
Take a trash bag whatever you do
Tallahassee needs this help from you
Don’t pretend immunity
Improve your community
Join forces to make this come true.
It was said of ancient Rome that everything ended up there from the sewers and outlets of the world.
What we know that even that capital city didn't face the ugly plague of discarded paper, fast-food styrofoam, beer bottles, plastic bags, appliances, tire carcasses, road kill, shoes, clothing, diapers, metal objects and various other dangerous and unsightly objects littering the roadsides.
Anyone who drives through town on I-10 must think this community really doesn't care about the way it presents itself. The garbage strewn across all of our thoroughfares within the city may only be exceeded by the amount of trash people can collect on any day in our parks and gathering areas.
Whatever the county does with inmates to help the situation seems to us ineffective at best.
We took out plastic bags a few days ago and filled them quickly with discarded trash near the picnic areas and on trails at Tom Brown Park. And this is supposed to be a recreation area. Trash cans are available there, so why aren't people using them?
But it goes further than that. Our natural attractions, when strewn with garbage, provide a sorry example of stewardship of planet Earth, the welfare of which has been entrusted to the human race. We don't want to argue that this is a misplaced trust, but judge for yourself.
Civic organizations need more sponsorship of clean road initiatives in "Trashahassee." The city and county need to use every resource to make sure that our habitat is presentable. People need to take it upon themselves to make sure their actions reflect good citizenship.
One way to help is to require alcoholic beverage manufacturers, soft drink conglomerates and fast food firms to pay a surcharge to fund garbage collection initiatives within the state. These bottles and cans should have redemption fees in Florida, as they do in other states.
This can be done at the legislative level.
Meanwhile, the county commisstion needs to make sure the local prison system is used adequately to help collect trash along highways.
Police need to begin to ticket people for littering. If people who throw trash from their cars can be identified, they ought to be made to pick up trash.
Our campuses with so many idealistic young people need to become involved.
Until measures are taken, our community righfully deserves the name "Trashahassee."
Mike Abrams, editor