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Writing a letter about litter counts for something

6/23/2019

2 Comments

 
The Toronto Star published my letter about the NBA Champions' Victory Parade aftermath, but only the first two paragraphs, not all four. It really helps to write a letter when you have a strong opinion to express. Whether it appears in print or not, there is a certain satisfaction to be found in the mere act of sending an email when you believe something needs to change. Never feel that writing letters to the media is a waste of time.  For me, it's the staying silent that's useless.

To The Editor:

When I saw all the litter and garbage that people left behind at the Toronto Raptors parade and rally, I did not feel that Torontonians behaved like ‘champions’.
At the very least there could have been reminders from the stage and along the route telling fans to take their waste home if they were unable to find a proper bin for disposal. Especially now, with attention being paid to the cost and environmental harm incurred from the careless disposal of single-use plastics, that's an important message to repeat.
On Rally Day lax attitudes toward the crime of littering could not have been more evident. You had the police everywhere and all the top-level public officials there, yet no one said a word about waste.  Think of the example all that littering sets for kids.
So many things could be done to dissuade this collective bad habit.  I fail to understand the vacuum of silence from leadership whether in politics, policing, sports or media on the anti-social behaviour of littering. Can we not see more thoughtful actions and conversations on littering generally? That would be truly ‘Raptorious’!
2 Comments

How Toronto's mayor responded to my littering complaint

6/19/2019

0 Comments

 
Back in December 2018 I spied a Toronto firefighter on my street littering a cigarette he had finished smoking at the side of his fire truck. It was a frigid early morning, but I hauled myself outside to demonstrate my displeasure over what I had seen. I stooped down and picked up the butt. I gave him a pocket ashtray that he could use the next time. "No littering," I told him, and he agreed. It was a one-minute exchange, one of those teaching moments that I'm fairly sure he will never forget.

Then I wrote to the Mayor of Toronto. I advocated for a policy that reminds smokers who work for the City of Toronto not to litter their tobacco product castoffs.

"I would like to be referred to the appropriate individual in your office, the city manager’s office or the office of Toronto Fire Services to discuss what can be done to remind City of Toronto employees who smoke that the bylaw requires proper disposal and no littering of cigarette butts, particularly not on public property or in or near city vehicles and equipment, but preferably never," said my letter to Mayor John Tory dated December 4.

"I clean my street daily in an ongoing experiment to see if I can make it and keep it litter-free.  While it is the cleanest street in Toronto, litter continues to find its way onto the street day in, day out. That speaks of broader problems of lack of education, awareness, effort and enforcement.  Could someone speak to me about this, please?"

A pretty straightforward request, I thought, as I mailed the letter and put it out of my mind.  Having run a mayor's office before I admit I have an exacting standard when it comes to communications. So I was less than impressed to receive a response four months later, an unsigned letter from Sincerely, Mayor's Administration dated April 1, 2019. Was this some kind of April Fool's joke? Did the Mayor of Toronto even see my letter? 

After thanking me for taking the time to write to the Office of the Mayor (well, actually, I wrote to John Tory), the Administration goes on to apologize for the delay in responding. "We received a high volume of correspondence from residents in recent months."

"We have forwarded your concerns to the Deputy City Manager, Chief of Fire Services and the General Manager of Solid Waste Management for their review and action. They have informed our office that they would follow up with their staff members in regards to littering, especially after you brought this incident to our attention."  (Hey, looks good on paper, nice-sounding words, but how do I know this was ever done?  Any Toronto employee who was told by city management not to litter, please contact me.)

"We have also forwarded your suggestion of having a city-wide campaign or policy to ensure city staff do not litter, to senior staff in our office for their consideration."  (That's code for saying, 'your idea is being shoved to the furthest corner of someone's messy desk and will never again see the light of day.')

There was no further follow up from the mayor's office. If they had looked out their city hall windows at the mess visitors left behind after the Toronto Raptors NBA Championship rally, maybe in hindsight they're understanding that an ongoing litter prevention campaign is a winning strategy, not a ball to dodge.
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    SHEILA WHITE is President and CEO of WORDS Media & Communications Inc and is founder and publisher of this website andThis Week In "Litterland" newsletter.

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