Unintended Consequences in Litter Control?

[ebacon]

The other day I walked our little section of dirt road and picked up litter. In just 200' of roadway I picked up a wheelbarrow load of beer bottles, wine bottles, whiskey bottles, shoes, chewing tobacco tins, and water bottles. With each one my mind echoed with the remembrance of hearing someone say, "Creates jobs" as they thew trash out of their car window.

Today I saw the below article about a new fund to clean up litter in Detroit. I can't help but wonder if such a fund is the right way to go. It seems that an unintended consequence would in fact be that littering creates jobs.

I'm curious as to your thoughts? How does your city handle litter collection?

It seems to me that it would be better to reward not littering but I am at a loss as to how such a program might be structured. Maybe giving recognition to store owners and neighborhoods that police their own litter? When I was a kid my dad made me go out and "police the yard" for litter. It didn't take much of that for me to become conscious of my litter footprint.

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...iness-district