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Put a Stop to this Degradation

I’m an avid street cleaner. On my daily walks in Chester I pick up all visible discarded trash—beer cans and bottles, coffee cups, liquor bottles, lunch wrappers, cigarette packs, etc.—and deposit them in the closest trash can.

I’m resigned to the fact that we will never be able to stop those who feel the streets are their own waste baskets, therefore I expect to continue the practice as long as I continue walking.

However, a new issue has arisen, creating more litter than I can handle.

A newspaper based in New Haven—and I emphasize not this paper—has, for several weeks, been throwing a weekly paper on all driveways on all streets in town. This paper covers primarily news from Clinton on west into New Haven, with only an occasional mention of an activity in our tri-town area. Many of these papers lie there for weeks because the homes are unoccupied, or there are two driveways and only one is used, or the homeowners simply refuse to pick up unsolicited material from their driveways or lawns.

I have written to that paper stating that, in my opinion, this is a perfect example of an exercise in futility, since the Valley Courier, which thoroughly covers all news for Chester, Deep River, and Essex, can be picked up by anyone who wishes to, free, at many locations in those towns, without the litter.

I have sent copies of that letter to the selectmen of the three towns asking if there is a way they can prevent this. Apparently they cannot.

Please, please: Does anyone know how we can put a stop to this offensive degradation of our streets?

Lillian Y. Bella

Chester