From one of our local papers today:
In Tuesday’s meeting, the Iowa City City Council will consider raising the fines for littering from $35 to $70 – a move that would bring the city’s penalties in line with state fines.
I hope this passes. I don’t hope it enough to go and represent my views at a 16-hour-long city council meeting, but I do hope it passes, as littering is a thing I hate. Two examples of the kind of wanton littering I’ve seen in my very own neighborhood:
A year ago I was driving home and was a couple blocks from my house when I got behind a car with a couple high school kids in it. They were eating fast food from Wendy’s. As I drove behind them, the driver reached out his window and placed a whole, unwrapped hamburger on top of his car. He left it here until it slid off the car and landed in the street. Next, he threw his empty soda cup — plastic lid, straw, and all — out the window and into the street.
I fumbled around for a pen to take down his plate number and car make and model. I followed him, hoping I could confront him or his parents when he finally got home. It wasn’t long before he realized I was behind him, and he probably figured out what I was up to, as he drove around and around but never went back home. After trailing him for a bit, I waved and headed home, where I called the cops and had an officer stop by his house.
Second time: Leah and I were both home from work…must’ve been over the lunch hour. There was a beat up car with a bunch of kids sitting in it across the street. They were smoking and yelling and laughing, and a scrawny kid on a bike kept riding up next to the car and then pedaling off. Leah was convinced they were selling drugs, so she called the cops. An officer pulled up just after the driver had finished emptying all the garbage from his trunk into the street. The officer stood over the kid and made him put everything back in the trunk. I never did see whether he wrote them a citation, but at least he got on them. Bah. Kids.
The one thing I now this increased fine won’t change at all are all the cigarette butts that cover the ground. Somehow, these don’t seem to count as litter. I’d love to see smokers start getting fined for all this trash.
Now watch Ava grow up to be an ignorant, littering, smoking teenager. Just my luck.