Editor:
I have long enjoyed walking and riding our beautiful streets, parks and forest paths. We are lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the world. And, people being people, there has always been some litter that needed cleaning up.
However, over the past few years there has been a noticeable increase in the number of discarded cigarette butts accumulating along the roads and sidewalks of our neighbourhoods. Strangely, a good portion of these butts are discarded onto lawns or other grassy areas.
It seems quite a few of our habitual litterers are not walking on the sidewalk, but instead choosing to walk along the other side of the street, where they drop their butts, some of which are not extinguished, onto their neighbour’s grass.
This practice is not only unattractive and against local bylaws, but in our current heat wave, it is incredibly dangerous. Our trees, shrubs, and lawns are tinder-dry these days. It is just a matter of time before a discarded butt starts a grass fire or worse.
If you smoke, please safely extinguish and dispose of your butts. Let’s all try a little harder, and perhaps educate offending neighbours of the risks.
S. Mitten, Surrey
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While walking through the parks off Southmere Crescent, I was surprised and disappointed to see so many cigarette butts. They were along the edge of the walkway as well as in the dry glass and twigs.
It is so easy to start a fire with each cigarette butt being tossed. Only a wooden fence separates the housing units from the park.
It is very dangerous to smoke in that area. Where is their common sense? It is so hard to believe smokers are so ignorant and careless.
Ruth Kile, Surrey