NYC Has a Litter Problem. Apparently, I’m the Crazy Lady Who Wants to Fix it.

I am the proud owner of a Grip and Grab Trash Picker. I live in Manhattan and have become so disgusted with the condition of my street that I decided to personally make an effort to clean it up. That was six months ago, and it wasn’t until today that I used it for the first time. Picking it up and hitting the streets was way harder than I thought it would be.

There were all sorts of emotions I experienced: embarrassment, shame and fear of ridicule, along with a little bit of actual fear. Weird, huh?

NYC’s Street Litter Problem

On the daily I see discarded food bags, containers, water bottles (often filled with urine from Uber drivers), soda cans, boxes, plastic gloves, wrappers of all types, discarded clothing, and pretty much anything else you can imagine. When the trash baskets on either corner of my block fill up, people just throw crap on the ground around them. They also throw their random trash on top of a pile of recycling or trash that is, in fact, scheduled to be collected. Dog owners LOVE to chuck their poo bags on there.

Unfortunately, in both situations, the sanitation workers are not bending over and picking up random items. I am pretty sure it is not in their job description, and that’s fair. They grab the bag or the basket, empty it and move on, leaving whatever wasn’t in the basket or bag right there on the street, where it lingers, and lingers, and lingers.

Why Am I Embarrassed to Pick Up Trash in NYC?

So why did it take me six months of staring at the trash picker sitting by my front door before I finally used it?

I mean, I take my dogs out walking at least three times a day, so it’s not like I am not getting out. But something was stopping me, and it wasn’t until today that I really looked at what it might be.

Shame and embarrassment are strong emotions. I don’t want to be known as the crazy trash-picking lady. I don’t want my neighbors to think I am weird. I don’t even want people I don’t know thinking I am weird.

I mean, who does that? Picking up other people’s trash? It is weird, right?

Then there is the fear that I will stand out and might be a target for aggression. There are all sorts of bizarre, unprovoked things happening here in NYC, from people being randomly slapped on the street to having things hurled at them by complete strangers. I don’t want to have to fight someone off with my picker!

But the truth is, it’s really more the embarrassment and shame. Which, unfortunately, is the real shame. (Pun intended.)

Why do we ignore litter in NYC?

overflowing trash cans on public streets

There are millions of people living in our dirty city, and really, nobody is doing it. So doing it looks, feels, and seems weird. Why is that?

It is our city and our neighborhoods and, in many cases, our trash. Why do we step over and around it and complain instead of picking it up and putting it in the trash?

I suppose this is human nature. We want to fit in, not stand out. We want to do what everyone else is doing. And somewhere deep in our prehistoric brains, being accepted by the tribe still matters more than we'd like to admit.

But maybe there are times when we have to be willing to look a little ridiculous.

I’ve decided I am going to try my best to push aside my discomfort for the greater good. Worst-case scenario, people will think I am a weirdo. And if I'm going to look ridiculous, I might as well commit to it. Maybe I'll wear a hat and sunglasses.

What can we do about New York City's trash problem?

I am going to hope for the best-case scenario.

Maybe people will be inspired. Maybe my efforts will encourage someone else who has had the same idea but been similarly afraid to try.

Maybe someone else will look at me picking up trash and think, “Huh. Maybe I should do that too.”

We have to start somewhere when we see a problem in our world. I am not going to eliminate the trash and litter problem in Manhattan, but if I inspire a few others and my neighborhood is a little cleaner, that’s a win.  Yes, I am heading back out tomorrow! I may bring a friend along for moral support! There is strength in numbers!