King letter: Litter

Sunday, Sept. 17, a beautiful day at our beautiful Kathryn Albertson Park. As I walked past The Rookery, I saw dozens upon dozens of nylon “flower” petals, plastic bottles lodged in bushes, deflated balloons. The day before, I walked by a large wedding at that shelter; apparently wedding-goers thought nothing of leaving their litter behind. I removed as many balloons as I could find; they can be deadly to animals. Some petals had blown over to the north side of the park, and staff will be required to pick them up individually, except for those petals that have fallen into ponds, irretrievable. Nylon will not biodegrade and can prove harmful to wildlife.

Park reservations are clear: “Please do no not throw rice, confetti, bird seed, etc.” The city charges a small fee for the use of our shelters. Is it so very difficult to follow rules that protect our wildlife and keep our lovely parks clean? Perhaps the city should require a deposit refundable only if trash has not been left behind for others to clean up. There were many children in attendance, and what was demonstrated for them was thoughtless littering, rather than minimal respect for our parks and wildlife.

This story was originally published September 28, 2017 at 3:41 PM with the headline "King letter: Litter."