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Why is garbage part of the Adirondack landscape?
By ANDREA VanVALKENBURG
Staff Writer
As falls approaches, I can’t wait to spend another season in the Adirondacks, surrounded by the breathtaking landscape and rustic charm of the changing foliage.
But there’s one thing that always bothers me as I take in the pristine views: disgusting garbage and trash littering almost every roadway.
Almost every day I drive, I’m amazed at the papers, diapers, McDonalds bags and even full bags of trash that tarnish what should be an unblemished view.
I love even more getting stuck behind the many drivers who toss their garbage out of the window or opt to not cover their truck load of garbage.
One time in particular, I recall having to crawl underneath my car to tear off a plastic bag that got caught after I spent about 10 miles trying to dodge the free-falling garbage that flew off the back of a truck.
My irritation with the garage problem grew greatly a few months ago when several area residents actually wrote Letters to the Editor complaining about local sheriff’s deputies issuing citations for these very offenses.
Seriously???
Why should towns and counties have to foot the bill and waste manpower cleaning up the roadways when people were simply to lazy to cover their rotting garbage?
Why should other people have to spend their days picking up the scraps of paper and junk that people were too lazy to put in the garbage?
I must admit rolling down a window and moving an arm to throw something is much easier than walking five steps to the nearest garbage. Maybe, instead of fining our lazy neighbors, they could be made to clean it themselves.
Better yet, maybe the county can bring its many bags of highway treasures to the driver’s home and decorate their lawn.
Maybe then they’ll learn the meaning of a garbage can.
But then again, garbage isn’t meant to go on their lawns — just everyone else’s, apparently.
Comments
The Adirondacks are beautiful, and even though we live in Ottawa, we are attracted to Lake Placid almost a three hour ride from here. But what is even worse than garbage is the blighted landscape from Ogdensburg to Lake Placid. From unsightly mobile homes, many of which were vacated years ago, boarded up homes, abandoned gas stations, and burned down structures are everywhere. I have see some abandoned homes with trees growing through them. In Canada these derelict structures are leveled immediately.
Contast this to the Ontario or Vermont countryside which is much more orderly.
Posted by: Norm Stotland | August 14, 2007 11:38 AM
Andrea you are so right.
I've spent most of my career traveling the North Country by car for one reason or another and most of the time I really enjoy it. But when I happen upon sights such as you describe, I too become angry.
Everywhere you go you will find people who believe that the world stops at their own limited vision. Nothing exists beyond their meager horizons. When they pass something and it's no longer within their view, it simply ceases to be. These are the type of people who don't mind leaving garbage by the side of the road, dump ileagally, maintain huge junk yards on rivers, or otherwise pollute. Corporations act similarly. You're still not supposed to eat the fish in Lake Champlain because hof high mercury contents. The Hudson River still needs to be dredged from decades of pollution. And industries of all stripes claim it's "their right" to pollute our environment. Maybe it's a good thing our Adirondack Garbage throwers are confined to their meager existance. If they had more say, we might be even worse off.
Posted by: Card Buddy | August 29, 2007 7:46 AM