October 25 on the Avenue

This past Saturday, 43rd Avenue was visited by the Woodside Neighborhood Association. The Woodside crew is composed of volunteers who perform hands-on work including garbage pick-up, graffiti remediation, weed whacking, planting, etc. The really remarkable thing about this group is that it is composed of a great many kids. When I was 12, I doubt that I would have spent my Saturday morning painting over graffiti or picking up litter. But the kids in the WNA are great: mature, dedicated, and very careful/conscientious in their work.

Wonderful volunteers of the Woodside Neighborhood
Association hard at work on 43rd Avenue

The Woodside volunteers painted the railroad overpass, as well as the final piece of the graffiti-covered temporary fence around the abandoned lot. They also cleaned up the weeds and the fallen leaves, and picked up trash. This was a big crew, and they worked for many hours. I am so grateful for their visit to the Avenue! And I am sure that other people who live nearby appreciate their work as well. One of the neighbors I met Saturday said as much: he was an older gentleman walking with a cane. He stopped to watch the activity. He said that he was so saddened by the way people treat this area, throwing garbage all over, etc., and he thanked us for trying to clean it up. I would guess that there are other neighbors like him, ie, people who are really bothered by the filth of 43rd but do not have the physical ability to pick up trash themselves. They are left to depend on their more able-bodied neighbors, but for whatever reason, these folks do not step up. Why people do not take responsibility for garbage - even if it's right on their own property- I do not know. "Garbage indifference" (I came across that term on the CleanUpJamaica blog) is prevalent around here. I thought of some possible explanations for garbage indifference:

1. People renting apartments may consider litter management the building owner's (or super's) responsibility.
2. People feel like picking up litter- even from their own front lawn- is pointless since litter is everywhere. I admit that this was my attitude for 4 years.
3. They are not bothered by litter. I watched enough TLC shows to realize that there are some people who seem to have a high tolerance for filth and crap and junk, etc.

Of these, the 2nd is probably the most likely explanation for garbage indifference. That is, people are not really indifferent at all, but there is just SO much litter that they are overwhelmed at the thought of trying to clean up. They feel like they have no choice but to live in filth.

Some people realize that they DO have a choice, though. This very morning as I was making my way to the train station filling a bag with 74th Street litter, I noticed that a young man stooped down every few feet and picked up a few pieces of litter (he did not have a bag with him, but he picked up as much as he could carry in his bare hands). I should have said something to him as we unloaded our collections into the garbage can on the corner, but honestly I was too surprised to speak. I thought of him for the entire train ride to work though, and belately came up with some words of wisdom for fellow litter-picker-uppers:

(1) Accept the fact that litter pick-up is a Sisyphean task, but do it anyway. I guarantee that as soon as you pick up a piece of litter, someone will come along a few minutes later and replace it. The streets will probably never be completely litter-free. Hence, litter-pickin-upping can seem futile and pointless. But it's not!!! I promise you, it's worth it. It does make a difference. People notice, and if they can, they will take measures to combat litter as well (either by picking up litter themselves, or at least being conscious about not adding more litter).

(2) Protect yourself! During my daily 74th Street pick-ups, I find litter that likely has saliva or phlegm on it (bottles, tissues, forks, coffee cups, straws). I've seen bloody litter too (bloody bandages and tissues). And don't even get me started on the kinds of things I find on 43rd. So, please do not use your bare hands to touch litter/potential fomites. You never know what pathogens are present.

*******************************************************

 I shall leave you with the highlights of this weekend's 43rd Avenue trash. (Thankfully there was no dumping this week!!!)

Envelope with cigar(?blunt?) that I found on the side of the Avenue's vacant house

I don't even know what to make of this stack of Activia yogurts on the railroad overpass



The  preferred (by the OGCLE) alternative to the Elmhurst Water Balloon. If this is what I think it is (as opposed to apple juice), then the person who produced it really needs to drink more water.