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Published on 04/13/1998 All articles from this issue

Stop using downtown as dumping ground

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Editorial

With all the talk about downtown parking these days, one other problem we shouldn't overlook is trash.

Downtown Los Altos is hardly a pig sty, but discarded paper coffee cups, plastic wrappers, and yes, cigarette butts are commonplace. Even worse are some of the areas between the street and the sidewalk that appear to serve as litter boxes for who knows how many creatures.

Compounding the general litter problem is the fact that outsiders are using downtown dumpsters, which are paid for to be used only by the businesses themselves.

A familiar scene on Monday and Thursday mornings, when trash pickup occurs, is dumpsters piled high with bags full of debris - much of it coming from people who want a free ride. The dumpster in the parking lot across from Safeway on First Street even had mattresses leaning against it one week, according to one eyewitness.

The Los Altos Village Association, the downtown merchant's group, and the Los Altos Garbage Company, combined forces to address the trash problem with a series of Saturday morning volunteer clean-up sessions under the heading, "Don't Let It Fall." Such programs should continue to address the litter problem.

But the dumpster "contributors" need to heed an appeal to stop their sneaky and irresponsible unloading on other people. If they stop being part of the problem, maybe they can be part of the solution.