I WISH PEOPLE WOULD STOP BEING MEAN TO ME

 

Today, I received a text from the Wilbeth Arlington Property manager.  She was pretty upset and accused me of trying to make her look bad.  

I've been picking up trash for almost 3 years, over a million pieces, and I would never do anything to make anyone look bad!  There is so much trash in Akron.  We all need to work together to keep the City beautiful.  I thought I was helping her.  If she doesn't want my help, there are plenty of other places I can clean.

This Circle K is at the corner of Wilbeth & Arlington.  Look how much trash blows in.  They are SO GRATEFUL I'm helping them pick up trash!  I see their employees out picking up trash throughout the day, but they still appreciate my help. 

Keep Akron Beautiful told me to stop cleaning the entrance and exit ramps, so I told them I won't clean them anymore. 

I drove over to a friend's house to pick up aluminum cans she saves for me, and her driveway is on the entrance ramp to Route 8 from Archwood.  Look how much trash is on this entrance ramp, and I cleaned it not that long ago.

I didn't clean it today.  I told them I won't, but they could sure use my help.  There's just too much. 

I walked east on Wilbeth Road tonight and I picked up 1,381 pieces of trash.  

I filled my bucket on this one corner.  The owner of the house walked by, and I said "Hello."  He just grunted at me.  I know he was thinking that I thought he was a pig.

I absolutely DID NOT THINK THAT!  I know people throw trash out of their cars when they're waiting at this stop sign. I've seen them.  I know it's hard for him to keep up with.  It's this bad every week. 

I saw trash in the bushes in people's yards.  I guess they think it's funny to stuff their cups in bushes.  

I think it's sad they can't throw their cups in a trash can.

I found a smashed beer bottle in the grass between the sidewalk and the road.  Imagine walking your dog down this sidewalk.  Dogs always step off the sidewalk to go potty.

I don't like it when people get mad at me when I'm trying to help.  One of my friends told me maybe I should stop posting pictures on my blog.  Maybe I should find something else to do.  She said, "You don't really think people are picking up trash because of you, do you?"

I ABSOLUTELY DO!  I've had so many people tell me they pick up trash when they're walking their dog, when they're hiking, when they're going into a grocery store.  Before I started picking up trash, they would walk on by.  Not anymore.

And there are so many streets and sidewalks in my neighborhood that are clean, and I'm not cleaning them.  

We are all working together! 

When I got back to my car at the pizza shop at Arlington & Wilbeth, the parking lot was packed.  

This little pizza shop sells a lot of pizzas.  They throw a hot pizza in a box, plop a stack of napkins on top and say, "Thank you!"  That person steps outside, and the wind catches that stack of napkins, and they are a block away before that person gets to their car.

I come to this corner every week, and I pick up thousands of pieces of trash each month.  Does the pizza shop manager think I'm making him look bad?  Do I think their employees should stop making pizzas and clean the parking lot?  ABSOLUTELY NOT to both questions!

They love it that I care about them.  They love it when their parking lot looks clean and cared for.

So please stop being mean to me, and let's all work together.  Trust me. We're on the same side.