Editor:

I am writing in to raise awareness about the condition of our Greenbelt Walkway in South Portland, and make a call to action to South Portland Parks & Recreation and every citizen that frequents the trail to help clean up the litter.

As the snow melts away, we all finally get to bask in the glory that is spring. I would assume that we all look forward to the greening of the grass, budding of the flowers, and enjoying the increasing number of warm and sunny days. As a resident of South Portland, I have the luxury of enjoying a walk on the Greenbelt Walkway every morning with my dog. It has come to my attention, however, that underneath the snow that once covered the ground lies trash – years worth – of carelessly thrown litter and junk.

The other day I decided that I was sick of looking at all of the garbage. I bought a “PikStik” and picked up some of the litter in Mill Creek Park and in front of the Mill Cove Apartments. As I was picking up someone’s Dunkin’ Donuts cup, a woman who lives in the apartment complex came all the way down to thank me. She said, “I’ve been living in the apartments up there for many years now, and I always sit and enjoy the view of the city. I just wanted to say that I saw you picking up trash down here, and since I’ve lived here, you are the first person I have ever seen pick up trash.” I could see there was truth to what she said. I had filled up three 30-gallon garbage bags with trash, and didn’t even get to finish the area I was working on because I ran out of bags. A majority of the litter on the cove side had been partially covered by seasons of plant growth. This woman’s thanks were echoed by others who passed by, whose words were not only grateful, but basically said, “Finally, someone is picking up this mess!”

The next morning, as I walked by the place where I set the bags of litter, I saw all three bags torn and rummaged through for bottles and cans. The litter was all over the place. All of the previous day’s work was reversed by one selfish person, exemplifying the issue of carelessness for the environment. It was quite a sight to see it all in one spot instead of spread out throughout the section of trail; enough for the city to finally come and pick it up.

The responsibility lies with all of us who walk that path to clean up after the careless people who pollute our community. It also lies with South Portland Parks and Recreation to send a crew out at least once a week for a few hours to pick up sections of the trail. We need to stop waiting for someone else to do what needs to be done, because lately no one has stepped up to the plate.

Christopher Kessler

South Portland