Halifax “used” to be the second-cleanest city in Canada after Victoria B.C. And now appears to me to be the filthiest city. So sad “some” people can`t use a garbage can within four or five steps away, but instead have to throw their trash on the sidewalk, street or a grassy area (be it private or commercial property). Signs stating a fine of $350 are posted, but never enforced. Obviously pride and respect for our city has gone by the wayside and your trash is on the curbside. —The Hater of Litter
This article appears in Back to School.
Yeah, a big problem with the world we live in now is that you can’t just give someone a good whap for being an inconsiderate douche. I fully believe there are people that won’t learn a lesson without first getting a good smack upside the head because they can’t be guilted or shamed or logic’d into doing the right thing. Now jerks are protected with camera’s in every hand. Sucks for sure.
Where are these signs?
Or the people who leave their dog’s business anywhere but in a plastic bag. A coil of dog shit on anyone’s lawn is not a work of art although some canine owners would like to think so.
I used to see garbage on the ground around a garbage bin near a fast food outlet. I couldn’t figure out if it was blowing out or people were just carelessly tossing their food wrappers and boxes. Then one morning I saw a crow sitting on top of the pile of packaging in the garbage bin. It was looking for left overs and it would pick packages up. If they were empty it would toss them aside on the ground and go on to the next one. Don’t mess with the crows!
Granted littering is a big problem in this hodge podge of communities stuffed into a Regional Municipality as many people do just drop stuff where they are and keep moving. However, many public garbage cans have been removed over the past few years. Especially many that were near bus stops. After awhile people just give up looking for a garbage can in which to drop something. As for those who drop things on the ground when near a garbage can well next to nothing will change them other than a tazer, or similar.
Crows are my brethren. I have a crow army of five. Maurice. Smartest birds in the world. And certainly smarter than 70% of Halifax drivers.
@TFFB: Even worse is the dog owners who pick up their dog crap in a plastic bag… and then throw the bag on the ground!!! You thought ahead enough to bring a bag, you went through the effort of picking it up, but you can’t actually deposit it in a garbage bag??? So now there’s dog crap AND plastic garbage on the ground…
↑↑↑ Or packed in a plastic bag and tied to a tree branch to dangle like some form of art installation, for ages. Probably took more energy to tie it up there than it would to cart it home and toss in the garbage. Sheesh!
I don’t care how far, or how long someone has to carry their fucking garbage before they find a trash can, it’s your responsibility to make sure it doesn’t end up on the ground. Fuck sakes, I have been on 4-5 day hikes in Keji and not one scrap of trash didn’t get bagged and carried out of there, so walking for 2 blocks is no excuse.
First of all, compared to five or ten years ago there are far fewer garbage cans around in this city. Secondly, recycling is not the social cause it used to be, kids are not taught about it like they used to, the fear mongering of saving the planet isn’t passed down to the next gen so they don’t see an issue. As a society as a whole we have become numb to the ongoing environmental problems around us. Third, it’s true, littering laws are simply not enforced.
It’s usually poorer people that litter. I hate to say that and I know it sounds bad, but just drive around the bad/poorer parts of town and it’s everywhere.
So why is so hard to put a Sobey’s or some other bag in your car to put your garbage in and when it gets full put it in a garbage can?
@TTFB, I too have a fair sized murder of crows under my command. Today, at first light, I sent my minions to awaken the students next door. They were partying on their deck until early morning but I felt they still need to get up and hit the books.
One time, Maurice, I said to them: ‘Fly, my pretties!’ but they thought I said ‘shitties’ and crapped all over me. They had a good caw-caw-cackle in the trees afterwards.
hipp5, I knew one dingus who used to bring his cat litter scooper with him on walks with his dog at Long Lake – he would fling the poop in the woods. His thought was it was o.k. as long as he didn’t throw it on the path – fucking dolt.
welcome to the “New Halifax”, with a massive influx of wealthy foreign people moving into all these luxury condos that seem to go up like weeds around here the past ten years or so, This isn’t the quaint university town I grew up in, quirky historic buildings everywhere, interesting architecture, friendly people and affordable housing.
Nope we are well on our way to becoming another “International City” I’ve even adapted my driving for “New Halifax” theirs a rich brat in a new Audi who’s gonna cut me off better gun it, If I go down to Antigonish, I had to re-adjust to classic scotia driving, It sucks but what can we do about it? People love to preach cold cruel world, lifes unfair, If you want it dog eat dog FINE people will throw their junk anywhere, slam their doors into your car, cut you off in traffic, glare at you and not say excuse me, Welcome to live in the average city, Cute little Halifax is just a childhood memory now , Soon all the quirky weird buildings will be gone and it will be concrete condos with fake brick everywhere… Tasteless, bland, boring. Bye old Hali :'(
To me the worst is the spitting….walking around (especially busstops) and you have to avoid big blobs of spit. How gross of a person are you to stand around and spit 10 times? Seriously…go get that checked out! I’d love to see us bring in the use of a cane on littering, public swearing, graffiti and spitting. I’m sure some will freak out (freedom of speech, blah blah) but as we grow we are losing our cleanliness and niceness. A hard cane will bring that back!
When was Halifax ever the second cleanest city in Canada? Where are you getting your facts? Been here for decades and this city has never been a clean one. There has been garbage gracing these streets for as long as I’ve been here and it’s not getting better. People are self-centered and don’t think of anyone or anything else but themselves. I had a friend who I would constantly be telling to stop discarding wrappers, bits of paper, etc, while walking or waiting for a bus on the ground. I told this friend to put it in a pocket or her purse until we saw a garbage can. I would constantly pick up her trash and hold on to it myself until I saw a garbage can and got rid of it. Needless to say but has anyone else noticed the LACK of said garbage receptacles. Come on HRM, a couple hundred more garbage cans would be great. How about starting with bus stops? Not too many have a garbage can around and it is a place that many people hang around and wait for periods of time consuming stuff waiting for the bus. How dumb is this town. And parents it’s up to you to educate your children on respecting their environment. Teach them that it is not ok to throw garbage on the ground. Geez Louise, wake up people.