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Clean Streets: People taking San Francisco’s trash into their own hands

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Re: Clean Streets: People taking San Francisco’s trash into their own hands

#4
In Taiwan the locals, usually the elderly, sweep and clean near their own houses or the parks where they congregate. Some do it as part of a neighborhood group, while others clean parks and areas near temples for religious reasons. Good way to build community.

On another note, let people read without pop-ups please.

Re: Clean Streets: People taking San Francisco’s trash into their own hands

#6

In Taiwan the locals, usually the elderly, sweep and clean near their own houses or the parks where they congregate. Some do it as part of a neighborhood group, while others clean parks and areas near temples for religious reasons. Good way to build community. On another note, let people read without pop-ups please.

Similar here just north of SF, I find it to be a bit of a community psychology thing. I found it the same when I lived in Japan (though wherever you go there are always those few houses, or that one park...)

It's not official but a lot of us take trash bags out on our walks and hikes too. I like to save up the really out of reach stuff for new years day. It's a nice way to start the year and kinda fun to go MacGyver on those really long-neglected beer bottles under blackberry bushes. Close in feel to geocaching...

Re: Clean Streets: People taking San Francisco’s trash into their own hands

#7
post #2

why does the local council not employ people to clean the streets?

They do. The government is just ineffective at its job.

It's very odd, here in Australia they're very effective at it, very rarely do I walk past garbage piles.

I guess people in San Francisco just don't care enough to really push the council to solve the problem?

Re: Clean Streets: People taking San Francisco’s trash into their own hands

#8

In Taiwan the locals, usually the elderly, sweep and clean near their own houses or the parks where they congregate. Some do it as part of a neighborhood group, while others clean parks and areas near temples for religious reasons. Good way to build community. On another note, let people read without pop-ups please.

In Canada they clear the snow/ice from the pavement in front of their own house. I've since heard it's (in at least some areas?) required though, which ruined the image a bit.

(And sort of odd isn't it? Instead of taxing you and providing you with this service, we'll require you to do it? Seems inefficient.)

Re: Clean Streets: People taking San Francisco’s trash into their own hands

#9
Its sad that 1) so many people just throw trash on the steet, 2) there is no law enforcement preventing this behavior, 3) the city isnt paying any people (in my area the prisoners do it from the jail) and then 4) that it has come down to the residents to come up with their own pool of money to pay for this... every week you read stories of the human feces on sidewalks, public urination, needles left on sidewalks, public drug use, all this is without law enforcement action to stop it. Its up to the leadership of elected officials to allocate money and make decisions to stop this type of behavior, but from most of what I have read about the subject it seems that the elected officials want to condone and even encourage this type of plague going on in san francisco. Its up to the voters to vote for the right people to make these changes, but I would never want to live like that or in that type of environment personally. I think thats why you see an exodus of families leaving san francisco. (I lived/worked there for a year)

Re: Clean Streets: People taking San Francisco’s trash into their own hands

#10
I just don't understand why throwing trash on the ground is tolerated. There is virtually no argument for why someone should need or be allowed to throw or leave their trash on the ground.

Most of us manage to get clothes on before we leave the house each day, and that's a lot more complicated than just putting trash into a bin (or god forbid, carrying it until you reach a destination which has a trash bin). So there is no excuse for littering.

I would impose very strict penalties for littering - namely forcing the one who is caught littering to spend two hours every day for a week, or even a month, walking the streets (and beaches or riverbanks or parks) and collecting trash.

If an alternative punishment must be provided, they could instead sit on the spot where they littered for a day, holding a sign which says "I'm a poorly trained human, and I throw my trash on the ground."

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