My family and I are new here in the last year or so and, I must say, we’re in wonder of this beautiful place we live in and call home. We take every chance we can to enjoy and be thankful for it.
Part of my new routine here, as it is with all of us who live here, includes a drive along the Highway 19A stretch between Qualicum and Parksville, occasionally numerous times a day heading to work, heading home or wherever. However, at some point this last year I found myself whining and crying along the way about the amount of litter I was seeing at the roadside and it was becoming a bad habit. It was spoiling my enjoyment of the views and more pleasant things along the way. It’s hard to fathom and accept why some folks can be thoughtless or careless about looking after it and knowingly litter.
To alleviate my developing bad habit of whining and crying, I began picking up the roadside garbage from Yambury to Columbia early last year. Last week, I expanded my range to include the stretch from the bus stops at the end of Sunrise Drive to the French Creek bridge. This is where I felt the need to say something.
I picked up 19.5 lbs. of litter from the two bus stops alone. It included garbage within about 20 feet either side of the enclosures. There are no garbage cans at these two stops and I will be mentioning the need for them to transit operations. Between the bus stops and the bridge I picked up another 17 lbs. I don’t normally weigh my catch, but this time I felt the need in order to emphasize my point and to pass on my wish and hope that people will get the message to ‘Stop littering!’
David Webb
Qualicum Beach