No doubt you’ve been feeling it in the air these past few days – Spring is just around the corner now. Soon this unseasonable warmth will be the norm as we see more and more people venture out in t-shirts, shorts and flip flops, and the snow will be gone for good (at least, until next winter). But as the snow begins to melt, it will reveal with its departure a less attractive side of the season.
As more of the sidewalks and roadsides become visible again, we’ll be treated to a view of all the refuse that has been buried through the winter, as well as the latest beer cans and fast food wrappers tossed out the windows of passing vehicles. This “Blooming Garbage”, as some may call it, serves as a reminder of just how messy (and careless) our fellow citizens can be.
The snow cover has helped to mask just about all of that, but soon it all will be laid bare in all its ugliness. Soon enough, spring will officially be here, and we’ll all feel that urge to get outside for a little spring-cleaning. We’ll be thinking about planting, and we’ll be ready to spruce up our yards and our neighborhoods.
But in the meantime, there’s no reason to let things slide as we wait out the remainder of winter and the possibility of last-minute snowstorms. There’s a lot we can do before the regular clean-up time arrives.
For instance, we can instill in all our friends and family that those old Dunkins cups and to-go bags should be thrown in the waste bin, not out the window of cars and trucks. For convenience’s sake, a small garbage bag can be kept in the car for such things until they can be discarded in the trash or recycling at home.
And speaking of recycling, it doesn’t serve any purpose to stuff every awkward-sized plastic bottle into the recycling container so that the tops cannot be closed and the contents balance all over reach other. With all the blustery winds we’ve had as of late, those bottles and other items will go tumbling through the mud and remaining snow banks, or into your neighbors’ driveways. It’s unattractive, inconvenient, and it defeats the purpose of collecting items for recycling. So if you need multiple recycling containers, use them, or compact your plastic and cardboard containers so that you are able to actually fit a week’s worth of recycling, if possible.
With snow banks shrinking along the side of the roads, you can get an early start on beautifying your area of town by picking up debris and trash here and there. If spring rains come in strong this year, all that mess needs to get out of the way anyway, and culverts have to be kept clear. Save yourself some potential trouble and clear the culverts now, if the snowmelt has left them visible.
Spring should be beautiful-and if we all do our part, we can keep it that way.