Do you know a sidewalk in Bridgeville that is constantly littered with cigarette butts, McDonald’s bags and god knows what else?
Which borough hillsides are strewn with illegally dumped tires, building materials and other rubbish?
Where in the community have people been treating public land like a public Dumpster?
Planning commission officials would like to help organize a community-wide clean-up day later this year, and they need residents’ help to identify the locations most in need of attention.
“These areas reflect badly on the overall image of our wider community,” said Tim Nath of the planning commission, “Especially when visitors or commuters are passing through from surrounding communities that may be doing an overall better job of upkeep—South Fayette and Upper St. Clair in particular.”
As an example, Nath pointed to the path along the railroad tracks from Bower Hill Road to Chartiers Street where tires and old house siding are strewn about.
“But I wouldn’t submit my list [of trash hotspots] as comprehensive, because it’s centralized to the places I frequent,” he said.
Not only could a clean-up day remove significant amounts of trash, said planning commissioner Mike Tolmer, but it could help build community pride among residents and encourage ongoing litter removal.
“Maybe we could put garbage cans along the main thoroughfares,” he said, “so if you see a piece of trash, you can throw it away rather than just walking by.
The actual logistics will need to be worked out. And the ongoing spread of coronavirus might limit the social aspect of a clean up.
In the meantime, residents can get things started by helping officials pinpoint problem areas.