Thursday, November 21, 2024

Ontario Needs to Address Littering Problem

Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

Re: Letter: “Littering Can Have Impact on Animals”, Dec. 28, 2015

Roberta Docherty deserves to be commended for speaking up about the damage littering does to our communities. Harm to wildlife is one of littering’s many negative effects.

For three years I have been pushing to have the province of Ontario launch a serious review of littering, as has been done in places like the UK, USA, Australia, European Commission, and, most recently, Italy.

The provincial government is shamefully missing-in-action on the litter prevention file. The Wynne government dumps all the problems and costs of littering on cash-strapped municipalities when it should be involved in thoughtful campaigns aimed at behavioural change.

Why the littering problem has fallen off Ontario’s radar screen is beyond me. Our research reveals the problem is rampant. For instant ‘litter-awareness’, I urge people to peruse the litterpreventionprogram.com website and download our free weekly Litterland blog.

I encourage your readers to voice their concerns about littering, as your letter-writer has done. Ontario needs to take a hard look at its littering problem and then lend a hand.

Sincerely,

Sheila White, Toronto

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