Dear PoP – Trash as Advertising is Wrong

“Dear PoP,

My boyfriend and I were walking up Champlain Street between Euclid and Kalorama around 5:30pm on Sunday when we passed by no less than 5 signs similar to the ones attached. I assumed the first pizza box sign I saw on the sidewalk was an interesting take on advertising that had somehow found it’s way to the ground. When we passed by 2 other pizza boxes and then 2 paper plates I realized that this was someone’s intent…to use trash on the ground to advertise their sale. In a neighborhood that struggles enough with rampant trash thrown on the ground, in the street and in tree boxes, it’s disappointing to see someone contributing to the problem for the sake of advertisement. While we considered picking them up and returning them to the owner’s front yard, we threw them in the trash instead. We hope people will respect the city more in the future.”

I agree that trash is a very frustrating problem on our streets. It’s obviously not the most serious but I think it can be especially frustrating because it is so easy to remedy. So, thanks for cleaning up the trash. And from time to time, I see folks who who pick up trash up and down their streets on a regular basis. Thanks to all who do that as well.

What do you think about this specific situation: Is using trash to advertise a garage sale environmentally friendly or detrimental to the environment?