Manners Matter: Litterbugs Leave Me at a Loss

Dear Mary Pat,

I live in downtown Chicago and am sometimes surprised by the amount of litter I see when I’m walking down any given sidewalk. The city does a pretty good job of keeping on top of it but nevertheless, people leave cigarette butts and various wrappers on the ground and it doesn’t look very nice. By comparison, I noticed on my vacation last week that Door County’s sidewalks are very clean. However, I did see a familiar sight on the ground here and there and it has me baffled. What is with people leaving those little flossing picks on the ground? Is there a large group of people compelled to floss while walking? And if so, why do they think it’s OK to litter instead of putting it in one of the many garbage cans around? Just a question I’m throwing out to the public at large.

Signed,

Floss and Toss

Chicago, Ill.
Dear Floss and Toss,

I guess the people who do this are the same type of people who think it’s appropriate to leave cans in flower beds, cigarette butts wherever they want, discarded gum for others to step in and wrappers out of car windows. They just have a more dedicated dental hygiene routine it would seem.

Door County is very clean, but we can always do better. Just because something is small (dental floss pick, cigarette butts, gum, etc.) doesn’t mean that it should be thrown on the ground. Make an effort to find a garbage can and don’t leave it on the ground please.

Good luck,

Mary Pat