Candy wrappers discarded on the street

[tyty333]

I need some advice...

This is the second year in a row that I have found empty candy wrappers thrown on the grown
while walking my child around the neighbourhood for Halloween. We live in a small neighbourhood and
get very few trick or treaters. Last year I was pretty sure which group of kids did it. This year we only had
one group come to our house. These are the same kids that I thought had dumped their trash last year so
I feel like I pretty much know who is doing it but I didnt actually see them do it.

I was going to post a sign on our neighbourhood entry way about the candy wrappers but then I remembered we
have a Facebook page that seems like the best place to put something like this. Of course, I do not plan on calling
those kids out because I did not actually see them do it.

So how should I go about phrasing it? I dont want to sound mad/emotional/irate...I just want it to stop.

Any advice?

 

[OoohShiny]

Perhaps you could suggest a neghbourhood litter pick, so everyone (hopefully) gets equally as incensed as you are and a stronger sense of community is formed?

(I HATE litter - it is lazy and a sign of bad manners.)

Alternatively, is it possible to buy candy without wrappers? If so, it could be worth suggesting on the group that there appears to be an issue with it again this year so next year it would be great to avoid it.

 

[missy]

@tyty333 this is a huge problem. Kids growing up in a disposable society think nothing of well disposing trash wherever. It's not good and anti littering signs have been shown not to work. Raising awareness any way you can is a good start and also arranging a neighborhood clean up is a positive move. Maybe you can post something like hey lots of candy wrappers and other trash are littering our beautiful streets after yesterday's Halloween celebration and I'd like to organize a clean up campaign. Would love it if the teenagers and other kids of the neighborhood joined in cleaning this up to show that littering is not cool and hurts everyone.

Some catchy slogans:

https://www.theparkcatalog.com/blog/top-30-anti-litter-slogans-trash-receptacles/

30 Anti-Litter Slogans To Fill Up Those Trash Receptacles

1. Be part of the solution, not the pollution.
2. Feed the can, man.
3. Slam dunk the junk.
4. You think we like picking up after you? (with a photo of a mom and dad)
5. I hate that empty feeling inside (seen on a trash receptacle).
6. Put trash in its place
7. Join the green side (with image of Darth Vader)
8. If you litter, the future will be bitter
9. Reuse, Reduce, Recycle
10. Fill me up buttercup (seen on another trash receptacle)
11. You can’t afford to be trashy (with mean-looking picture of a police officer)
12. Green city, clean city, my dream city
13. Don’t trash our future, recycle
14. Stop littering. The earth is not your garbage can.
15. Here today, reused tomorrow.
16. Idaho is too great to litter (substitute any state)
17. Give a hoot, don’t pollute (with a picture of an owl, of course)
18. Every litter bit hurts
19. You are the only cure for litter
20. The world outside your car is not your personal ashtray
21. Litter and you’re rubbish
22. Can it for a greener planet
23. Proud people don’t litter
24. Recycle your trash or trash your earth
25. Fight dirty. Keep our parks clean
26. Be clean, be green, be a recycling machine
27. Money does grow on trees, recycle paper
28. Take care of the earth and she will take care of you
29. Your mother does not work here
30. There is no planet B

https://www.theguardian.com/comment...nt-change-litter-zero-waste-national-strategy

 

[tyty333]

I love both of your ideas @OoohShiny and @missy! Fortunately, it's only a few pieces of candy wrapper. I guess part of my problem is not only do I HATE
litter but I also cant understand how you could throw candy papers on the ground/lawns of people who are nice enough to give you that candy??? It really
bothers the heck out of me.

I just realized I'm not a member of our neighborhood group face page even though I thought I had requested to be. I've made another request but not
sure how long it will take. This is somewhat of a timely issue.

 

[missy]

I love both of your ideas @OoohShiny and @missy! Fortunately, it's only a few pieces of candy wrapper. I guess part of my problem is not only do I HATE
litter but I also cant understand how you could throw candy papers on the ground/lawns of people who are nice enough to give you that candy??? It really
bothers the heck out of me.

I just realized I'm not a member of our neighborhood group face page even though I thought I had requested to be. I've made another request but not
sure how long it will take. This is somewhat of a timely issue.

Yeah this would upset me too @tyty333. Why some (too many) people behave this way and think it is OK to litter (or not clean up after their dog poop) is a mystery. The lack of regard and concern for others is astounding. I agree doing something is the only way to handle this because if one is not part of the solution they are part often problem IMO. Apathy and disregard and ambivalence and indifference are all part of this problem. I wish I had a more clear cut answer but kudos for you for wanting to take action and do something. It's a start!

 

[marymm]

FWIW, joining a FB group only to complain on your very first post may not be the best way to address this one-day-a-year/Halloween littering problem? Perhaps wait until 10/15/19 and then post a reminder about the best way to dispose of candy wrappers during treat-or-treating?

 

[OoohShiny]

If you know where the kids live, collect the wrappers and take them round to the parents' houses, saying "I think your kids dropped something the other night?" lol

 

[Austina]

@OoohShiny - I wouldn’t allow my child to eat anything that wasn’t wrapped, and I suspect a lot of parents would feel the same. However, I also wouldn’t allow my child to drop litter.

I feel your pain @tyty333 littering is so anti social

 

[tyty333]

FWIW, joining a FB group only to complain on your very first post may not be the best way to address this one-day-a-year/Halloween littering problem? Perhaps wait until 10/15/19 and then post a reminder about the best way to dispose of candy wrappers during treat-or-treating?

I think this is an excellent reminder for next year, however, I see nothing wrong with handling it this year as well.

 

[OoohShiny]

@OoohShiny - I wouldn’t allow my child to eat anything that wasn’t wrapped, and I suspect a lot of parents would feel the same. However, I also wouldn’t allow my child to drop litter.

I feel your pain @tyty333 littering is so anti social

I can see where you're coming from on that.

Although I would also point out that any nutjob with a hypodermic needle could inject anything they wanted through flimsy wrappers on any given product! lol

 

[telephone89]

@missy I gotta say, some of those slogans made me laugh. So 90's, I love it
Feed the can, man
Slam dunk the junk.

 

[missy]

@missy I gotta say, some of those slogans made me laugh. So 90's, I love it
Feed the can, man
Slam dunk the junk.

That sums up the 90s in a nutshell.

 

[vintageloves]

A few candy wrappers once a year? I'd put them in the trash and not spend another moment thinking out it.

You know your neighborhood. If you think people would be receptive to this, then by all means bring it to their attention. But in my neighborhood, reactions would range from denying it was their kid to not caring to dumping spite litter on my lawn.

 

[Austina]

I can see where you're coming from on that.

Although I would also point out that any nutjob with a hypodermic needle could inject anything they wanted through flimsy wrappers on any given product! lol

That’s very true @OoohShiny - but I was thinking more of germy fingers

 

[AV_]

I might say something to the perpetrators, but not on FB. In fact, I have left long ago: any FB gesture seems much heavier than its real life equivalent - to the extent that nothing fealt both appropriate & useful there.

2c

 

[AGBF]

A few candy wrappers once a year? I'd put them in the trash and not spend another moment thinking out it.

You know your neighborhood. If you think people would be receptive to this, then by all means bring it to their attention. But in my neighborhood, reactions would range from denying it was their kid to not caring to dumping spite litter on my lawn.

I love this posting, but I also had another idea (inspired by missy's list of slogans about litter). How about decorating a wastebaket for Hallowe'en next year and putting it at your curbside? You could even have a spooky voice calling out. Have it say something about throwing your trash there...or else! with a monster, eyes glowing, guarding the trash basket. You could even have "Don't Litter!" signs guarded by ghosts in your yard to reinforce the theme. Go lightly all the way.

Deb

 

[AGBF]

I saw this in "The New York Times" and thought of this thread. It is not exactly on-topic, but is close enough that some of the posters interested in not having trash dumped in their yards, may also be posters who are cleaning up messes left in their homes after the festivities of Hallowe'en are over. Besides giving out candy at the door all night, my daughter and I hosted two boys (ages 9 and 11) for the evening, taking them out trick-or-treating. There was some mess.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/31/smarter-living/how-to-clean-halloween-candy-costume-stains.html

 

[luv2sparkle]

Personally, I would just walk around and pick them up. It’s annoying, but one night a year. It gives the kids such joy. A little mess, in the big scheme of things is not so much trouble.