Keeping it Clean

Not all heroes wear capes, as we know, and Roger is definitely a local hero. He'll often be seen patrolling the streets and the hiking trails around town with his dog Bosco, and his grabber stick and his trash bucket in his hand.

Photo: Steve Somerville / Metroland, (Stouffville Sun- Tribune)

Roger has been picking up garbage from the trails on his walks twice a day for the past four years. The main problem used to be discarded water bottles, paper coffee cups, and candy wrappers. But more and more the current collection of garbage seems to be discarded PPE and the ever present dog poo bags.

Roger estimates that he has collected over 5000 disposable face masks since the pandemic began in March 2020. Some have been dropped by accident, but many have been deliberately discarded, like the four or five that were wrapped into a ball and tied in a knot. Why? 

And there seem to be a large number of pet owners who aren't sure what to do with a dog poop bag once it's in use, so the bag is left on the path, or hung on a nearby branch. In just one day Roger found 17 poop bags along a forest trail. If you have the energy to bend over and scoop the poop, surely you have enough energy to take it home or to the nearest bin. Hard to understand.

Photo: Steve Somerville / Metroland   (Stouffville Sun-Tribune)

Roger has picked up thousands of cigarette butts on his trailwalking. Very nasty. I can't imagine what this smells like. Come on smokers... dispose of your butts safely, not throwing them on the ground.

In 2019 Roger was acclaimed the Citizen of the Year for his work. Let's help him by keeping our trails, our town, our country.... CLEAN!