Cigarette butts and gum on Vancouver sidewalks

One of the main reasons why I love Vancouver so much is because of the great natural beauty in and around it. There are also many good restaurants and shops, and if you can successfully shut out the frequent mumblings and harrassment from panhandlers, just walking around and taking in the sites can be a really pleasant experience. Looking down on the sidewalk almost anywhere, however, and you can’t help but be saddened by the incredible volume of cigarette butts everywhere.

A common site on Vancouver sidewalks

Anyone who has walked around long enough has seen them in the act. A smoker has been enjoying his cigarette for as long as possible, and then, instead of finding a garbage can or ashtray to dispose of the butt, he will simply drop it or throw it down on the ground with a cool flick of the wrist.  Now, I don’t have anything against smokers. I have many friends who really enjoy a good smoke. It is the intentional littering and polluting of our sidewalks that I have a problem with. Of course, not every smoker does that, but it sure seems like an aweful large number of them do.

Another item that can be seen polluting our sidewalks and lowering the overall quality of the city is chewing gum. Gum is not as frequently spit out on the sidewalk as cigarette butts are tossed there, but you will see a lot more gum stains because they are not something that can be picked or swept up. You will see a lot of gum stains, especially,in front of places where a lot of younger people line up, such as in front of a night club.

Cigarette butts and gum stains in front of Celebrities night club

Now I want to ask some questions to all the people out there who don’t seem to mind using our sidewalks as a garbage can. Why don’t you put your cigarette butt or gum in a garbage can instead of throwing it on the sidewalk? Don’t you realize how much of a mess you are making?

If you’re reading this, and you are one of the ones responsible for contributing to the mess on our sidewalks, please stop it. If you have a friend who does it, how about telling your friend not to do that? And if you see someone throwing their butt down in front of you, how about asking the person why he is throwing garbage on our sidewalks? The problem won’t be solved or improved if we don’t start taking steps to do something about it. Let’s try to keep our city clean, folks!