New Orleans is a city of fun and festivals. Every week something is happening, which, when you think about it is quite impressive for a relatively small population in a small geographic area. There is much to celebrate here. We have warm weather, a variety of cultures present, a rich history, music and food. The celebrations vary from holidays and major festivals to small ward celebrations, carried out with marches, street bands, and at times motorcycle and 4-wheeler races. Do not get me started on the safety issues and chaos. This article is not about that. What irks me to no end is the trash.
Of course a certain amount of trash is expected from festivals and street parties, and thinking of economy, this trash produced does create jobs, as day laborers are seen cleaning up after any festival and major street party. But the somewhat confined deposits of trash from a festival is one thing. And the blatant littering in the day-to-day is another.
I see people stop at a traffic light and open their car door to drop whatever paper or plastic is in their cars. This leaves small pieces of litter in the streets, then in the wind, then people's yards or streets. Why do this? I was at the bank ATM drive-in the other day and a family in a car had just bought fast food. They pulled into the parking lot just to eat and dropped straws, lids, paper wrappers and more int he lot. Why? This is a clear ecology issue, as litter has to end up somewhere and the contaminants in all of those paper and plastic products are not good for our water and drainage as well as the ecosystem. But it is also crucial to consider aesthetics. Who wants to see trash everywhere? Plus the odor.
I believe that New Orleans has much to offer. The festivals do a great job of trying to provide trashcans and even at some there are recycle bins, but the day-to-day trash behavior needs work. It is not just visitors but locals as well. Who can imagine it is a good idea to eat pounds of crawfish and then leave the bag of leftover bodies in the street? That smell is horrific and lasts for days. This happens in residential areas, where the city just dropped off new trash bins last month! Where is the education on trash and proper disposal? I want to see big billboards about litter and proper disposal of trash, making people conscious of the importance, something similar to the LSU Ag Center billboards about healthy eating. We are far from working on recycling here, it needs to start with trash.
As a host city to thousands of tourists and concerts, festivals, lots of movement and attention annually, let's be the city that takes an extra step to show our pride. Because leaving trash in the streets, any streets is a lack of pride and respect in our city. Whatever complaints one may have against the city, that does not excuse unsavory behavior. Let's clean it up New Orleans! Let's set the example for the current and next generations. A few moments more to consider how to dispose of something is worth the effects on beauty and happiness of all who live here and who visit.
