New Bedford’s Streets Are Littered With Trash

There's no doubt about it, there's trash in every town and city, regardless of where you live.

I've reached a boiling point and I think it's time to address the fact that the streets of New Bedford are being treated like a landfill for nips and plastic coffee cups. It's impossible to walk a block without coming across a dirty disposable mask that's been saturated in stagnant rainwater. It's the laziness that grinds my gears.

Call me "Karen" or whatever you'd like, this is something I need to get off my chest.

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Every day, my fiance and I take our dog for a walk around the West End. We enjoy cutting through Oak Grove Cemetery where it's quiet, but as well taken care of as the city maintains it, the unwelcomed trash spoils the scenery. I didn't want to bother New Bedford's DPI, so I took matters into my own hands.

After my Grandmother passed away, I found her old "teacher grabber" tool she used to grab out-of-reach things from the top shelf in her kitchen. It was just going to be thrown away so I decided to use it to help pick up the trash so I wasn't breaking my back.

The next day, just about 3/4 of a mile into our walk, I filled up a trash bag to the brim. What an accomplished feeling knowing if I kept it up, by week's end I'd have a good chunk of the area cleaned up. Unfortunately, I was in for a rude awakening.

Our dog can sometimes be a creature of habit, so we followed her scent and ended up taking the same path as the day prior. One by one I was picking up nip bottle after nip bottle, empty beer box after empty beer box, and paper mask after paper mask. Again, the bag was full and it was as if I did nothing the previous day.

Gazelle/Townsquare Media

What a kick to the shins.

This city has so much potential, yet it's used as a dumping ground. The ignorance is just as disgusting as the slew of trash that hugs the sidewalks where the drains drop off. If only everyone picked up a piece of trash along their walk or recycled a plastic bottle properly instead of tossing it out their car window.

Perhaps we'd see a difference in the city, but I'm not holding my breath. Do better, New Bedford.

End rant.

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