Don’t be a Philly slob

    The message on a passing SEPTA bus caught my eye: Join the movement for a litter free Philly. Go to Philadelphiastreets.com.Who wouldn’t want a litter free city?Possibly the guy who opens a car door and blatantly empties his ashtray on the street? Maybe the lady who uses a tissue and lets it drop after blowing her nose? Or the kid who unwraps a candy bar and allows the paper to flutter to the ground like confetti?How about the jump shooter whose juice drink bottle misses by a mile and he keeps on walking? Or the trash collector who ignores spillage from the bag he’s tossing into the garbage truck? And don’t forget the on-the-go eater leaving her Styrofoam container next to the Big Belly Solar compactor.I don’t like the inconsiderate smoker launching a burning cigarette butt or the beer drinker lining up empty bottles on the curb or the gum chewer spitting out a wad that eventually finds an unsuspecting sole. Worse still are the folks who consisently use vacant lots as a personal dump. I mean, really?Maybe Singapore has it right with fines of up to $1,000 the first littering offense. It doubles the second time around. My often-ineffectual attempt at getting litterbugs to act right consists of giving them the evil eye even though I know a dirty look rarely works (especially when wearing sunglasses).Like most people, I fear getting into a spat with some hothead and ending up with my brains blown out over an improperly discarded newspaper. Instead, I’m joining the official communal effort to unlitter Philadelphia. Individual actions do add up.Take the pledge at Philadelphiastreets.com.Give a hoot. Don’t pollute.

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