What's the fine for littering????

[Bret Callentine]

I was more than a little ticked off this morning. I knew by the sound of the snow plow across the street that I had some work cut out for me again. However, what I didn't expect to see was a trail of yellow plastic bags littering tree lawns, driveways and even the street all the way up and down my block.



It's bad enough to have to constantly clear my porch of unwanted advertising, but I'm very dissapointed that the Cleveland Plain Dealer was so freakin' lazy that they didn't even try to deliver this morning.

You want to give us a complimentary paper, so be it, but this isn't a gift, in my opinion it's thousands of counts of littering in my city. Half the bags were already covered with road sludge, and I bet most of them won't be picked up by anyone until after the snow melts and they have to pry the wet paper off the walkway or street.

I left a message for the Mayor and City Council. I'd like to see a fine levied against the paper, if for no other reason, than sheer stupidity and laziness.

Is this just on my block (Elmwood) or is this a city wide thing?

[Will Brown]

They trashed our street, too. This isn't the first time.

What really irks me is that those plastic bags are, I'm told, petroleum based, so we are using valuable natural resources to create trash. And as they apparently take forever to degrade, they end up harming my landscaping, fish and wildlife.

Some cities have banned them. I'd like to see Lakewood do that, but when we go grocery shopping and I ask for paper only, my wife demands that they use both paper and plastic; her reasoning is that she needs the plastic bags to put recyclables out for pickup.

[Rick Uldricks]

deleted

[Bret Callentine]

I'm just looking for a little comon sense here.

I don't think it would be too much to ask to have some sort of restrictions on the way unsolicited stuff is delivered.

We'd need a lawyer to chime in with the appropriate verbage, but I would think the cuttoff should be that it would have to be delivered onto the porch.

90% of my mail is garbage that I didn't ask for and don't want. 90% of the messages on my answering machine are sales calls, even though I'm on the "do not call list". I'm just sick and tired of cleaning up someone else's crap.

[Anne Steiner]

This happened on our street too (Granger)...My hubby cleaned up a bunch of the green wrapped papers (2 weeks ago) that the carrier dumped all over our street.

I'm glad you called.

[Diane Helbig]

So, has anyone bothered to call the Plain Dealer and complain? I know that when they had a delivery guy who had a bad muffler - at 5 am - I called and it was resolved immediately.

How about a little problem solving instead of problem sitting?

[Bryan Schwegler]

Hopefully calling the PD would be more effective than the numerous calls to the Sun Post.

I agree with Bret, Lakewood needs an ordinance for this kind of stuff. The PD and Sun should not be able to just throw their papers all over the ground. They should have to deliver them to the porch and adhere to people who ask to be taken off their free delivery list.

[Bret Callentine]

Diane,

I've asked both papers in the past to please stop delivering papers to our house. It's worked about as well as asking the phone sales people to take me off their call lists (and yes, I'm already on the national do not call list).

I'm sick of asking.

These people don't learn, they get paid by advertisers dependent on circulation, and so they chuck as much paper out the door as they can, all the while claiming they have a larger readership. The New York Times and New York Daily News got busted for this a while back if I'm not mistaken, bilking advertisers over inflated numbers, all the while, their delivery people were dumping unread copies by the hundreds into storm sewers, etc.

Look, I'm not saying they can't send out a free paper if they want, but what gives them the right to indescriminately throw them everywhere? Come summer time, I continually have at least an extra bag of garbage a week from trash that I pick up on my street. This has got to stop somewhere, and I feel the responsibility in this case rests with the paper.

[Bret Callentine]

and yes, I sent an e-mail to the vice president and director of circulation at the paper.

I politely demanded that the paper come and clean up the mess.

I'll let you know if I get a response.

[dl meckes]

They trashed our street, too. This isn't the first time.

What really irks me is that those plastic bags are, I'm told, petroleum based, so we are using valuable natural resources to create trash. And as they apparently take forever to degrade, they end up harming my landscaping, fish and wildlife.

Some cities have banned them. I'd like to see Lakewood do that, but when we go grocery shopping and I ask for paper only, my wife demands that they use both paper and plastic; her reasoning is that she needs the plastic bags to put recyclables out for pickup.

Will, to tell you the truth, we have two dogs that assist us in reusing those plastic bags.

Composting dog poop really isn't very effective unless you have about 8 dogs or so I read. There are systems that are supposed to work like little doggie septic systems but they don't work when the ground is frozen. I'm guessing our neighbors might not be too thrilled, either because I probably wouldn't have the time to do what it takes to keep the compost smelling good.

I would like to find some sort of bag that isn't paper and that won't instantly decompose when... less than dry but that would decompose in a short time. I wouldn't mind of the newspapers were delivered in those.

I know that pet stores sell bags to pick up poop, but it doesn't seem sensible for me to purchase something that I already get for free.

I would also assume for folks who get the newspaper in a bag and can't find another use for them, that you might ask your carrier if you could give them back to be reused.

[Bret Callentine]

just an update, got an e-mail back from the Plain Dealer. They promised to have their drivers stop and look for uncollected papers tomorrow morning.

If you could please let me know tomorrow (Tuesday) if your block was not cleaned up, I would appreciate it.

Now on to city hall to set stricter guidelines.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Now on to city hall to set stricter guidelines.

Like this?

It would be a start.


.

[Diane Helbig]

Diane,

I've asked both papers in the past to please stop delivering papers to our house. It's worked about as well as asking the phone sales people to take me off their call lists (and yes, I'm already on the national do not call list).

I'm sick of asking.

These people don't learn, they get paid by advertisers dependent on circulation, and so they chuck as much paper out the door as they can, all the while claiming they have a larger readership. The New York Times and New York Daily News got busted for this a while back if I'm not mistaken, bilking advertisers over inflated numbers, all the while, their delivery people were dumping unread copies by the hundreds into storm sewers, etc.

Look, I'm not saying they can't send out a free paper if they want, but what gives them the right to indescriminately throw them everywhere? Come summer time, I continually have at least an extra bag of garbage a week from trash that I pick up on my street. This has got to stop somewhere, and I feel the responsibility in this case rests with the paper.

Thank you for sharing your experience with me. I am truly sorry that the PD does not realize how it's conduct is impacting its image.

[Annie Stahlheber]

This made me think of something I saw today. Rob and I were driving down Detroit behind the street cleaner. First of all, the guy in there was smoking - which is against the Smoke Free Ohio Law - so we were talking about it and Rob snapped a picture....and then he tossed the butt out of his window!!! The street cleaner - a city employee - littering!!! We were appalled!!

[Diane Helbig]

and what about all of the trash on the street and sidewalk at warren and madison next to the walgreens and in the street? It looked like a garbage truck exploded.

And I believe it was garbage day for that street - could there be a connection?