Trash penalties need to be stronger

A few days ago in the Yuma Sun, there was a Letter to the Editor about persons throwing trash out of windows of moving cars, and when they were confronted about their behavior, a rude gesture was given by the driver or those in the vehicle. I know there used to be an ordinance here in Yuma about littering while driving a vehicle, trash coming off the back of pickup trucks like tree trimmings and normal yard waste, as I recall it has to be covered with a tarp and tied down. But over the years, this policy has been ignored and people have become lax.

Once in a while, I see persons throw household waste from a moving car, and that includes baby diapers, which is a filthy behavior on their part. When confronted they will give you the middle finger and say some rude comment. Years ago when I was in the military and was up stationed at Whidbey Island, Washington, the Ault Field Naval Air Station, I was assigned TAD to the military police, and we had to work alongside the local police there. There used to be a policy if a driver or pedestrian were seen putting out a cigarette on a sidewalk or street or throwing it out the window of a private vehicle, they were stopped and given these instructions that they had to get out of their vehicle and take a brown gunny sack and a prong and walk a mile back and pick up trash. If they refused, then they were given a citation for littering and ordered to appear in court. When attending court, their sentence was to pick up trash from the side of the roads there for as long a period of time as ordered by the local constable and also had to pay a fine.

I wonder if this policy were to be implemented, these smart alecks who litter would change their attitude. DENNIS RUSSELL Yuma