Cleaning up - or policing the area

When I was young there were often "jobs" to be done before play with friends could start. One regular job was picking up bit of paper, sticks & twigs in the front yard. Bags full of them as I recall. Not great fun, however it did seem to do the trick with instilling the value of a tidy yard.

Shift to teenage years -- first Earth Day. Many Cranburians who were student at Hightstown High School at the time rode bikes to school. Symbolic, yes. Influential in ongoing thinking about the earth and how we impact it -- for me, yes.

Many years later, here we are. I take the responsibility to keep the Blue Rooster's "yards" clean of trash, etc. I am continually amazed at the trash left on the sidewalk in our lovely town. And I know sometimes a bit of paper will be dropped by accident, a handoff is missed & something is dropped, there are surely many such possibilities for accidental trash.

Can it all be accidental? Is a plastic cup, straw & lid left just off the curb an oops or someone leaving trash on the street because, why not - someone else will pick it up. I recognize that in comparision to many places, Cranbury is very clean. However, what makes it OK for any bottles, paper napkins, cups, newspaper & more to

Pick up a bit if you see it - help keep Cranbury looking good. I believe it makes a difference.

And since I'm on a bit of a go with this topic of trash -- how is it that cigarette butts seem not to be considered trash by some smokers? These are the top item of trash I pick up, daily.

In the small towns of Ireland, and some of you who have traveled there will remember visiting "Tidy Towns" -- there is a competition among towns for cleanliness, well kept yards, streetscapes and parks, etc.

Could this be a way to keep the trash from gaining more of a foothold here?