LETTER: Roadside trash is an insult to all of us

bethlehem south side cleanup View full size Volunteers clean up litter in South Side Bethlehem.  

As the winter snows recede along the roadside and I look for the first signs of the earth's rejuvenation, what do I see? Garbage.

As I drive through the Slate Belt and surrounding areas, I am appalled at the trash that lines the curbs and roads. What is wrong with people? Where has respect gone — for the earth, for the environment and for this beautiful area we call home? It is bad enough that we live in world of ever more disposable products, but why must we treat the ground as if it were a garbage receptacle?

Most of the trash along the roadsides is recyclable, yet beer and water bottles and soda cans abound, plastic bags flap in the breeze, caught on tree branches and half submerged in the melting snow.

It is a sad commentary on the ever- declining respect for the environment. Here are a couple of tips for the litterbugs: Keep two (recyclable) plastic grocery bags in your car and put your trash in one and your recyclables in the other. Then take it home and dispose of it properly. The earth will thank you for it and so will I.