I went to renew my vehicle licence today at Services Ontario, noted the Do Not Litter sign on the bulletin board, obviously homemade.  A black and white 8 ½ by 11 photocopy protected by cheap plastic, it was an obvious addition to the board.  I notice these things.  It wasn’t there last year.

One rarely sees do not litter signs in Toronto.  So I made an inquiry while standing at the counter being served. 

They put it there because of the dreadful mess they’d find themselves in at the end of each day.  Papers, coffee cups, lunch bags, wrappers, containers, some still containing leftover food. 

“Even when there’s a can right there,” the woman said, gesturing to the corner, no more than ten steps away from any point in the shoe box of a room.  

I asked whether having the sign removed the problem?  No it did not, I was told, but it helped reduce the amount of mess. 

A couple of observations:  The garbage bin could be more attractive.  According to Claudia Marsales, who directs the solid waste program in Markham, Ontario, garbage bins need to be “sexy.”  The more appealing the container, the more apt a litterer will be to walk over to it.

Signage needs to be vivid and unmistakable.  The more reminders, the more peer involvement, the more success will follow. 

Clear instructions and stated expectations work.  Customers at the licensing office can be told what to do nicely and they will comply, especially when they’re in a position of needing something like a plate renewal sticker. 

Would it be too drastic to make litter prevention the policy in government offices, indeed introduce it to all workplaces?  What do you think?  

OSSTF could well be the greenest trade union in the world.  The federation representing Ontario secondary school teachers is unique in its establishment of and support for a green working group, which is chaired by environmental activist and former Green Party candidate Glen Hodgson, of Parry Sound.

This small and dedicated group of OSSTF members has produced what may be the world’s only report on greening a labour union.  It is certainly the first I’ve seen in all my years of research. 

I had an opportunity to meet with the working group members today.  Their blueprint, updated in 2012, lists concrete steps for reducing the organization’s carbon footprint and setting a gold standard for environmental stewardship among its 60000+-strong membership. 

I went to the meeting pushing for the inclusion of littering in future rewrites of “Small Steps to A Greener Union.”  Littering is relevant in two ways - smoking and the disposal of butts by members, and litter resulting from outdoor rallies, festivals, protests and the like.  I gave them some ideas to consider and really appreciated their interest and attention.

Credit is due to OSSTF’s executive for establishing this green mandate and being a world-first, if I’m not mistaken.  I don’t like to be wrong, but I’m willing to be if anyone knows of a more brilliant example of greening a union.  I was able to find a few periodicals and theoretical writings out of Denmark, but nothing as progressive on greening a union as is coming out of OSSTF in Ontario, Canada.  GET REPORT.

P.S.  The chair, Glen, said he liked the litterpreventionprogram.com website, found it comprehensive and easy to navigate.  (I encourage students to use the site to create projects, write stories, research the subject and for all to be litter aware.)  Watch for new stories every day on the News Reel.  As always, feel free to contact me with your thoughts and comments.

I visited a restaurant on Bloor West recently.  I can't tell you the name.  They might spike my food after this.  We were a party of twelve on a busy Friday after work.  The restaurant had a small room in an alcove off the main dining room reserved for our group. At less busy times it doubles as a staffroom, where employees eat their meals, take their breaks or get away for a moment.

So far so good.  Service was great.  Beverages were cold. Food was half price until six.

Somewhere between my second drink and a plate of wings, something went drastically wrong with the picture.  As I placed my hands on the table to hoist myself up and keep steady as I squeezed through the narrow space between the tables, a sickening feeling overcame me.  It started with the sticky greasy feel of my hands. Gum. I looked under the table.  Three, four, five wads of gum under there. ABC Gum, we called it as kids: Already Been Chewed.  I felt unclean for an instant.  Restaurant.  Food service.  Hardened, saliva-bearing gum under my table.  Which one doesn't belong?

Is this a dining room or a Grade 2 classroom? And I mean no offense to second graders. This being a designated staff hangout led me to believe this was not the work of patrons.  I mean, they're eating and drinking - why would they be chewing gum? Like a detective I examined the pattern of the gum wads, most of them at this one table where I had seen a waiter having dinner just before our party started.

Those Grade Twos would add two plus two in no time, concluding the ABC Gum had belonged to the servers. The table was their ditching post before and between shifts. 

You wouldn't know this because gum manufacturers don't tell you - big trade secret - you're supposed to use their packaging to wrap ABC gum and then place it in the garbage.

Under tables, on the ground, gum is an impossible product to clean up when it is disposed of incorrectly.  If no bin, no pocket, no receptacle, swallow it. In school days of old those caught chewing gum in school had to stick it on their nose.  Ya, stick it on your nose.

A question to readers - would you have named the restaurant in this piece?