By Rich Osborne
Suzanna and I go walking every day we can. Our favorite beach walks are Tramp Harbor and KVI beaches.
A couple of years ago, we noticed that the amount of beer cans, cigarette butts, vape containers, and general trash had increased exponentially. At Suzanna’s suggestion, we started to take a plastic bag with us, and picking up the trash.
Last spring, some family left a blue plastic pail on the beach. I put it into service as my trash bucket. I now wear a plastic glove. It’s kind of fun.
Then a very cool thing happened. Some of our neighbors saw us and thanked us. But soon, trash started disappearing before we got to it. No complaints! Our neighbor Rhondi picks up the trash from Ellisport Way to the old King County dock.
Tuesday, September 15, 2022 was an extremely heavy day, with two cases of beer cans and two bags of miscellaneous trash. On our way home, a lady thanked us and picked up the two cases. She told us, “I got this!” and took them away.
We ran into the King County Maintenance Supervisor, who was taking some pictures of damage to the beach barrier. He told us that the “Adopt a Road” project is rebooting soon, so we can get bags, vests, and pickers, and leave the full bags with them. And we won’t be paying the dump fees anymore. How cool is that?
So my creed for the month is: Take a bag on your walk. If you see trash, pick it up. Our maintenance crews are overwhelmed with major repair projects and limited resources. At some point, we can talk about organizing this better with the “Adopt a Road” project, but for now, keep a plastic bag in your pocket or your car, or wherever.
If you see some trash on the beach, the park, the forest, the road, pick it up. You will feel good every time you walk by that clean beautiful spot. I promise, you will.
