My wife, Bev, has been waiting for this article for a while. As much as I complain about this subject, she is surprised that I haven’t written about this much sooner. I guess I just needed another highway cleanup to entice me to put my "pet peeve" into print. I am disgusted with the way some people treat our planet as a garbage dump.

Twice a year Wild Spirit participates in the national Adopt-A-Highway program by cleaning up the trash that is left along the side of the road on route 16 between Delevan and Lime Lake. Twice a year I am appalled at the garbage that is left along the side of our roadways. Some of the trash was most likely blown out a window or out the back of a moving pickup truck. There are even parts of vehicles including mirrors, license plates, and shredded tires. But much of it is obviously just uncaringly tossed out the window. It is hard to believe that a portable television just blew off the back of a truck.

Not to pick on smokers, but when did they stop putting ash trays in motor vehicles? And where is it written that if a vehicle has an ash tray, it must be emptied in a parking lot on the ground? I see more people flinging their cigarette butts out windows every day. Why? If you wish to smoke, that is your business. But when you use that habit to pollute the earth, it becomes everyone's business. If our volunteers and myself picked up all the cigarette butts, lighters, and cigarette pack wrappers along our two mile stretch of highway each year we could easily fill a large garbage bag. If you smoke, PLEASE use your vehicles ash tray, and empty it in the garbage at home when it is full.

As for the rest of the polluters, it’s as simple as carrying a small garbage bag in your car. There really is no need to throw your fast food wrappers out the window. If you see something fly out he back of your pickup truck, simply pull over and pick it up. Better yet, make sure that there is nothing loose in the back of your truck.

We all have to share this planet we live on, not just with other people, but also with the wildlife. Let’s use a little common sense and put our garbage where it belongs. Let’s keep our planet clean for everyone. Thanks!

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