Editor:

There are very few things that get my goat but top of the list are people who trash our parking lots, store fronts, sidewalks, streets, roads and ditches.

A couple of days ago I witnessed a person toss his spent bag of McDonald’s out of the passenger window of his jacked-up 4x4. Part of me wanted to follow this uncaring sloth to wherever he was going to lecture him on the finer points of being a decent human being.

However, two things stopped me from doing so.

1. Attempting to convince a person who litters that littering is rude, inconsiderate and not normal behaviour is more than likely a waste of time.

2. He may have been packing heat and not a fan of me reprimanding him. On my daily commute along Oak Level Road I have also been noticing more and more trash in the ditches... much of which appears to be coming off the numerous construction vehicles that frequent that road...spent plastic wraps from packages of water bottles...plastic bags filled with trash...Styrofoam and of course, the ubiquitous beer can.

And then there are those people who casually deposit their pandemic masks in parking lots, sidewalks and wherever they decide that they no longer need a mask. So much for that mask.

Don’t even get me started on smokers who somehow are able to convince themselves that the world is their ashtray.

My parents raised their seven children to be personally responsible as well as mindful of others. People that litter seem not to have received that same valuable message. We live in a beautiful town, area and community, and I realize that most people don’t litter. It’s the few who do that gets my goat.

 Jim Dorsey, new Richmond Hill resident and non-litterer.