Picking up litter part of routine

Ah, spring. Can’t wait till the beauty of this Island bursts forth with new growth and idyllic pastoral scenes in the countryside. The last vestiges of snow disappeared to reveal an uglier side in the form of litter in ditches and seemingly everywhere else around us. Much of it is from fast food restaurants — coffee cups, wrappers, etc. — thrown away by thoughtless, or care-less, consumers.

Thankfully, Islanders in the main are rightfully proud of this fair land and many took extraordinarily steps to clean up this annual blight. The Women’s Institute led this effort, co-ordinating an annual Island-wide drive involving many different groups to clean up ditches. Of course, littering is a year-round curse everywhere it seems. I recently saw something on television news, it may have been in the Halifax area, about a group of runners who picked up litter along the way. I’m not sure if a trend is developing here, but hikers and walkers should be encouraged to follow that example.

Certainly, there are notable individuals around here who do their part when it comes to picking up trash. People who frequent the boardwalk in Victoria Park will recognize one lady in particular who goes out of her way to pick up litter in the course of her daily walk. And she has done so for many years without thought of recognition. More should follow her example.

David MacCallum, Charlottetown