To the editor:
Like many local people who care for the place where they live, my wife and I grab blue plastic bags from the Jaffrey Chamber of Commerce every year and spend a few hours picking up trash on our road. This year we only filled three bags and we were optimistic that perhaps past trends were changing. Within 24 hours our road was again cluttered with plastic soda bottles and 16-ounce cans.
Who does this? What type of person has no problem tossing their trash out of their car window? It is “trash behavior.” Perhaps I need to set up cameras so I can capture polluters’ license plates numbers and turn them into my local police department. After all – not only is it littering irresponsible – it is also against the law. New Hampshire Rev. Stat. Ann. 163-B:3 et seq. Misdemeanor. Imprisonment up to one year and fine up to $2,000 (651:2); or, at court’s discretion, conviction may require time spent cleaning the area where littering occurred. The court may publish the names of convicted persons. This could be a great way for local towns to keep things cleaner while collecting big bucks.
I am ready for this new campaign. Some slogans to get us started: “Toss = Your Lo$$” “Trashing Our Roads Opens Your Wallet” “Think before you litter – Your bank account is watching.”
Jim Draper
Jaffrey