Are you as sick of litterbugs as I am?

[shelivesthedream]

I almost had a heart-attack at a family gathering the other day when my innocent nephew let slip out that they eat on disposable plates every day. I asked to verify if it was really every day or occasionally but he said every day...right in front of my brother who supposedly is an environmentalist. I was shocked! I think they do it for convenience with their busy lives, but I just can imagine how much trash a family of 4 who uses disposable items for every meal can generate.

My mom's caretaker also used disposable plates for every meal. When my mom told me about it, I asked her to tell her to take a look at pictures of the islands of plastic in the Pacific Ocean. My mom reported back that she didn't know about this and was appalled by the trash and has now mended her ways. At least one win to report!

I guess this is fairly common here in the deep south.  At least, I know of a restaurant my coworkers love that uses exclusively plastic forks, knives, and spoons and styrofoam plates for their clientele.  I asked about it, and the answer I got was that people in the South are poor, so this is what they do to save money.

How funny that to me paper plates mean "party!", while to them it must be real china that means that.

[Annamal]

Just to cheer you all up. Our local mountain bike club has been paying serious attention to the walking trails near our house, to the point where they have have gathered all of the rubbish they could find on the trails and mounded it up with a big sign asking people to carry out what they can (they have a big mound at the end of the trail that they will take away later).

Saturday I went down the last bit of the trail cheerfully waving a long metal pole with plastic sheeting on the end.

The trails are looking so much better thanks to these people.

[Daisy]

I almost had a heart-attack at a family gathering the other day when my innocent nephew let slip out that they eat on disposable plates every day. I asked to verify if it was really every day or occasionally but he said every day...right in front of my brother who supposedly is an environmentalist. I was shocked! I think they do it for convenience with their busy lives, but I just can imagine how much trash a family of 4 who uses disposable items for every meal can generate.

My mom's caretaker also used disposable plates for every meal. When my mom told me about it, I asked her to tell her to take a look at pictures of the islands of plastic in the Pacific Ocean. My mom reported back that she didn't know about this and was appalled by the trash and has now mended her ways. At least one win to report!

I guess this is fairly common here in the deep south.  At least, I know of a restaurant my coworkers love that uses exclusively plastic forks, knives, and spoons and styrofoam plates for their clientele.  I asked about it, and the answer I got was that people in the South are poor, so this is what they do to save money.

How funny that to me paper plates mean "party!", while to them it must be real china that means that.

And I don't understand how constantly using paper plates is cheaper than real plates. At some point you hit the breakeven point where the number of paper plates you have to keep repurchasing hits the value of just buying a plate.

Oh and my brother is nowhere near the poverty level. It's all about the convenience for him.

I can understand using paper plates when hosting a party, but not for everyday use.

[Cathy]

...We have approached a neighbor (It's just a team "thing" I was told, point blank.) and the parents with the kids in the car that we caught in the act ("They're just having fun" the mom sneered.) It has recently come up on Nextdoor, with the responders about 50/50. The common retort is "lighten up". We have also spoken to the police, who have no interest in stepping in....

What you are describing here is trespass. Trespass to land by itself is not a crime in California (or most places), although it can be a crime if combined with various other circumstances. However, unless one of those special cases apply, the appropriate remedy for trespass is a civil suit. Furthermore, even in the special cases where trespass is a crime, it is only a misdemeanor. Cal Penal Code § 602. In California, the police generally have no power to arrest a person for a misdemeanor unless (1) the officer has a warrant authorising the arrest, or (2) the offense was committed in the officer's presence. Cal Penal Code § 836. There was likely nothing the police could do about your complaint.

I was reminded of this thread after a similar post I made in another thread. In general, the police do not exist to adjudicate legal claims. That is the function of the courts, especially on complicated topics like property law. Most police officers do not have the legal training to evaluate the veracity of property law claims.

[meg_shannon]

I hate litter too. I watched a guy at a drugstore parking lot just shovel fast food trash out of his car onto the parking lot. I estimate there was about 6 fast bags plus all the wrappers, cups, napkins, and condiment squeeze things that had been on his car floor. It was disgusting. I was leaving, but returned to the store to alert one of the cashiers. If I hadn't had a sick kid with me I would have offered to pick up some it.

If someone told me they used plastic/paper plates and flatware to save money I would probably buy them a set from the thriftstore. I don't care if they would find it embarrassing. That's wholly irresponsible behavior.