Day 1: La Jolla Cove|Wind and Sea
Labor Day weekend seemed to be a good time to find a volunteer opportunity to Give Back to the Community since the new 4-day work week policy provided us with the two glorious 4-day weekends in 2 months. I figured I could spend a day volunteering and still enjoy a full 3-day weekend! I came up with this great idea a few days before the holiday and found that my search for volunteer opportunities available on short notice was coming up empty.
So I decided to sponsor my own clean up the community day. Those who are close to me know that I have a bit of an OCD condition when it comes to trash. Trash generally does not last a day in my house. I empty it obsessively. The idea of picking up the trash of strangers was terrifying but at the same time, a convenient opportunity because God knows there is trash everywhere!
I set out Friday morning armed with my heavy yellow utility gloves and a handful of plastic grocery bags. Started walking north in my Wind and Sea neighborhood guessing that La Jolla, being a relatively upscale neighborhood, would also be pretty clean. Boy was I mistaken. The first grocery bag was full in less than 10 minutes. And I mean FULL!
The optimistic and naïve Nikki thought that I would knock out my trash collection in one day. Little did I know that when you are picking up trash on the street that you bend over at least once every 3 to 5 steps. After 2.5 hours of walking and all of my bags filled, I could barely stand up straight. Lucky for me, I had 3 more days to fit in my 9 hours of volunteer work!
I found it interesting how folks react to someone picking up trash solo. Lots of curious stares. Seemed that some folks were trying to figure out if I was collecting bottles and cans or just perhaps a little crazy. On mile 4 or 5, a woman about my age who was walking with her husband in the opposite direction, said ‘Thanks. That’s really nice of you.’ I raised my soiled yellow glove in silence and kept picking up cigarette butts.
That first day also taught me the rules of engagement which I was not prepared for but were required in order for me to complete my task and avoid my continued desire to ‘throw in the yellow glove’ and call it quits. I had just three rules:
Rule 1: It’s OK to pass trash that may contain bodily fluids or solids. Now I’m not talking Kleenex! That first day, in my early zeal, I picked up a few items that I greatly regretted. On days 2, 3, and 4 I was far more observant and selective before picking up certain items.
Rule 2: Once you pick it up, you have to keep it, no matter how disgusting and even if you break Rule 1. That is the rule I had to create and follow in those cases where I did pick up an item that probably had been used for a very personal purpose. Once it was in my gloved hand, if I threw it back on the ground, I was the one littering!
Rule 3: Don’t risk your life for a random piece of trash. You’re doing something good but that does not give you super powers.
Rule 3 came into play on my first day once I got into the groove of trash collection and was feeling an initial ‘high’ of giving back. As I walked toward La Jolla cove, I spotted something on the rocks. First I started to pass it and then walked back and thought, I can go get that. It’s so ugly and ruining that beautiful rock. I crawled under the fence with the sign warning pedestrians to stay away from the edge of the dangerous rocks. That damn piece of trash was luring me to the edge. I finally came to my senses and let the dirty sock win.
I was feeling a little defeated at that point but just as I got past those rocks, I was given the gift of this kindred spirit who I swear turned and looked up at me as if to say…‘don’t you worry. There’s lots more trash at arm’s length.’
I received great satisfaction when I threw away the last full trash bag along with my yellow glove to end Day 1.
Day 2: Embarcadero and Little Italy
Saturday morning I set out with another stash of bags and a fresh glove. Drove downtown for a different view of the trash world.
The holiday weekend and beautiful weather brought out lots of folks and plenty of trash. As I worked my way through the embarcadero area near the Star of India and the Midway, my constant stopping was starting to become a nuisance. Without a sign on my back warning folks of frequent stops, I was getting in the way of tourists and had a few close calls with pedicabs. So I headed north of the County Administration Building and found myself in Little Italy.
Such a friendly, clean community, I thought I had hit the jackpot and would be hard-pressed to fill my bags in my allotted 2.5 hours. Boy was I mistaken! I must have picked up 1,000 cigarette butts that day along with other assorted trash, mostly food related. Good grief! Does everyone who goes to Little Italy instantly become a smoker?
Fewer curious looks that day. I think most folks assumed that trash collection was my job. One woman came up to me and asked if I had found a license, which she misplaced the night before. A restaurant owner shot me a timid ‘Grazie’ as I scooped up dozens of cigarette butts from his front patio. And there was that one genuine ‘Thank you’ from a woman about my age who seemed to understand my mission. By far the best human interaction moment of the day came when I made eye contact with a smoker who walked a few extra steps to put out his cigarette in a little ash tray at the top of a trash can on the street.
One interesting note about different forms of trash and how different communities feel about it. For all of you pet owners who use those little plastic bags to pick up after your dogs, please note that Little Italy has message for you. Even in our current drought conditions, don’t let your dog water the trees!
The last trash bag and yellow glove found their resting place around lunchtime.
Day 3: La Jolla|Bird Rock
Sunday was the toughest day. My back was sore from bending, I was sunburnt from the two previous days, and mostly I was sick of picking up trash. So I kept close to home and headed south toward Bird Rock. I’ve driven up and down La Jolla Blvd a thousand times in past 2 years and never noticed the mounds of trash tucked in the corner of the curbs, on the sidewalks, in the grassy areas, and especially around bus stops.
I also found more empty alcohol bottles and cans in this area than any other. The homeless footprint in La Jolla is almost non-existent so I could only assume that these were remnants of under-aged kids partying after a football game. Surely somebody else’s kid, not mine!
Being tired and cranky on day 3, I was especially annoyed by my uncanny ability to ALWAYS pick the right hand glove out of the jumbo bag of 5 pairs of gloves that I purchased as Home Depot. So each day I found myself wearing a right handed glove backwards and pinched on my left hand.
Day 3 was also the day I regretted Rule #2 on multiple occasions. My path had many grassy and dried areas with trash that seemed harmless at first, but had scary stuff hidden on the underside. Also, there were very few trash cans available for me to dispose of my full bags. I found myself walking for at least half a mile with 3 full bags of trash and carrying a crumbled, wet cardboard box. Not a pretty sight.
And yet, just when I was feeling a little sorry for myself, a woman, about my age, waiting with her family to be seated for brunch, gave me a smile and said Thanks.
Day 4: Mission Beach
On Labor Day morning I woke with a much better attitude. This was my final trash collection day. I will be victorious! So I loaded up my bike with empty bags and a left-handed glove, and headed south about 6 miles to my old stomping grounds. I lived in the heart of Mission Beach for seven years. This was a gritty neighborhood and needed my new found skills.
I was struck first and foremost by the cleanliness of the boardwalk. I expected to fill my bags in record time but that was not the case. A straw wrapper here, a cigarette butt there, and random napkins, etc. Secondly, my 3-day string of a single thanks by a woman my age was broken. To my surprise, EVERYONE was providing support….young, old, black, white, male, female, walkers, bikers, surfers. My biggest cheering section was a group of 4 Rastafarians.
Since little progress was being made on the boardwalk, I headed over to Mission Blvd. That was a good move. The trash was plentiful. After making my way from the roller coaster up to the PB pier, I headed back south on the boardwalk. By that time, the trash was piling up as the beach crowd increased. By the time I reached my bike, which was parked close to the roller coaster, I was ready to retire my final grocery bag of trash and well fitting, but soiled yellow glove.
In 4 days, I walked close to 30 miles and collected 35 bags of trash along with assorted items that were too big for the bags. I would like to tell you that the experience cured me of my OCD tendency but that’s just not true. I’d also like to tell you that I now pick up trash all the time, but that would also be untrue. I can say that I do notice trash more now and am scoping out locations to put those remaining 6 yellow gloves to good use on selected weekend walks and afternoon walks near the office.