Litterers of the city, parks department trucks have a message for you.
Or they will soon, if action is taken on a proposal by Board of Parks Commissioners president David Belowsky.
And if some research resolves the question of how to ask for good neighborliness in a “positive” way.
At the board’s monthly meeting last week, Belowsky pitched an anti-littering idea: write the words “Don’t Litter” on the back of all Parks Department vehicles.
The commission didn’t vote on the idea, but plans to take it up at their next meeting, in September.
Belowsky’s anti-littering idea came as a part of the Board of Parks Commissioners’ ongoing discussion of the problem of litter in the city. The matter originally came up at the May meeting of the board, when Parks Director Bob Levine agreed to post more “No Littering” signs in city parks.
“I was thinking we could paint our trucks with the words, ‘Don’t Litter’,” Belowsky (pictured) told the board last Wednesday night. He said that the simple straightforward message might serve as a reminder to citizens to put trash in its proper place. “That might help people realize that we’re picking up trash after trash after trash.”
Levine estimated that there are 50 to 60 trucks in the parks department fleet that could be painted with such a sign.
Commissioner and Fair Haven Alderwoman Migdalia Castro (pictured) raised a concern about the negative wording of the phrase “Don’t Litter.”
“Can you do it in a way that it’s also positive?” she said. “Like ‘Pitch In’?”
“We could do ‘Please Don’t Litter’,” said Levine.
“Or ‘Pretty Please Don’t Litter’,” joked Commissioner Georgia Miller.
“I just think a positive campaign works better,” Castro said.
“You don’t think ‘Don’t Litter’ will work?” Belowsky asked.
“No,” Castro replied.
“I don’t know if it’s negative or not,” Belowsky said. “We’re picking up a lot of trash.”
“We can’t make the sign too long or no one will read it,” said Commissioner Hector Torres (at right in photo above).
Castro suggested asking taxpayers what they would want to see.
The item was tabled until the next meeting, pending further research into the wording of anti-litter slogans.
Have a suggestion for tactful and effective phrase to prevent litter? Pretty please submit it below in the comments.