What I've Discovered so far while Plalking

Well... this has been fascinating. Every morning I go for a quick walk in our neighbourhood, about 15 minutes in total. The first day after discovering Plalking, I stuffed my pockets with a couple of grocery store bags. I was a bit shocked to discover that there was enough garbage to fill two grocery bags. Mind you, some of the stuff had been there for quite a while, so I'm hoping that there will be much less in the future. Lately, I'm only finding a few candy wrappers, the odd beer can along the road or maybe some cigarette wrappers.

One thing I've noticed is that I still have a bit of a hurdle to get over... there is a small voice in my head that, after seeing a piece of trash lying on the ground, goes something like this:

Should I pick that up?
It's just a small piece of garbage...
Someone else might pick it up...
There's a car coming... they will think you are weird for picking up trash...
Heck... the people in these houses will think you are weird for picking up trash...
Maybe... people will think I am doing "community service" by picking up trash!! Ack!

Reusable grocery bag in brambles

And on it goes. I have to have a fairly rigorous conversation with myself to get over these hurdles... but so far, I am managing it... mostly. And it's not just me... that internal dialogue happens in a lot of people!

Back when I was growing up, there was a family friend, a rich guy, who, when he retired, would go around town dressed in "shabby" clothes picking up pop and beer bottles. There was a lot of judgement around him...

And... at university in the 1980s, one my profs was seen around campus picking up cans and bottles as well. He actually started a scholarship fund with the proceeds which had reached $46,000 by the time he died in 2012. There was less judgement around him... although he was known as "quirky" which is a step up from "eccentric".

As one blogger said, picking up trash is breaking a taboo. It normalizes an activity that many frown upon and encourages others to pick up trash as well. And the more trash there is lying around, the more people feel it is OK to just add theirs to the pile. When I pick up trash, I'm demonstrating pride in a community... that I care about our neighbourhood and the environment. Which apparently sets a good example for others. I try to keep that in mind but... it's easier out in the woods where I'm quite happy to pick up trash as long as there is nobody around! I guess I'm still in development with letting go of the fear of being judged by others!

Here are a few things I've picked up recently...

• doggy doo-doo bags (full ones) left along the side of the trail. I totally understand. You've just started your hike and the dog goes poopies. Do you really want to carry that full poopy bag the whole hike? No. I know this because my Mom used to do this with our dog. But she would come back out that same way and pick up the bag(s). So, I did debate that the owner of these might come back and get them... but they were in the middle of the hike... so I decided to take them and leave the owner to wonder what happened to them.
• men's underwear and other pieces of clothing - left in the picnic area of a local park... apparently it has different activities at nighttime 
• pop and beer cans ($$)
• burnt aerosol cans where someone, kids I presume,  had a fire out in the bush
• a brand new but ripped reusable grocery bag - hanging in the brambles for several days before I grabbed it on my first day of Plalking...
• lots and lots of Tim Horton's coffee cups... no Starbucks cups though... perhaps Starbucks drinkers are more eco-conscious? Or just don't go hiking?
• a sway bar - obviously some vehicle is now swaying a bit more after losing that bit along the roadside... 

I have to say... my eye has now become attuned to garbage along the side of the road... and there is a lot more than I had expected. Maybe I just didn't notice it before?