As the snow and ice melts around Anchorage, litter that’s been kept hidden under a long winter is now coming to the surface.
The good news is crews have gotten an early start to spring cleanup, says Anchorage Chamber of Commerce president Bruce Bustamante. But the bad news is they’re finding more than just trash beneath the breakup.
On a recent stroll through their Eastside neighborhood, Bernice Sliney and her 8-year-old daughter found a number of used needles along Boniface Parkway.
“It scares me. Like, what if somebody were to pick them up? What is somebody were to get poked,” Sliney noted. “I mean, who knows what diseases are out there?”
It’s one more conversation she and her fellow parents need to have now in the interest of keeping their kids safe, she says.
“I did talk to her and tell her ‘people use drugs, people use needles as drugs,'” Sliney recalled. “And having to explain that to your kid, you shouldn’t have to, but at the same time it’s something they have to know.”
Then, she showed her daughter the responsible thing to do– throw the needles in the trash.
“There are hazardous materials out there such as needles and such,” he said. “We encourage people if you see something like that, like a hypodermic needle, to use your gloves.”
Bustamante is hoping the citywide cleanup effort this spring make Anchorage a safer place for Sliney and her family. And he hopes their responsible approach sparks other residents to do the same.
“Like your own home, you’re going to keep it clean, you’re going to keep it nice because you do have pride of ownership,” said Bustamante. “And that’s certainly something with the city; we’re very proud of Anchorage.”
Still, Sliney says she wants to see the needles tossed in the trash the first time, by their respective users, so she won’t have to clean up a mess she didn’t make or have her daughter exposed to dangers she shouldn’t have to face.
Friday, February 17 2017 12:06 PM EST2017-02-17 17:06:28 GMT
Thursday, June 21 2018 4:03 PM EDT2018-06-21 20:03:55 GMT
You’re my friends now. We’re having soft tacos later. Yeah but I don’t know how to make myself go there. Maybe it might never happen again. AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! Put a little fence around it! Ralph Waldo Pickle Chips! I don’t know him.Pony Lords, jump for you
PersonalityCatbug may be about 10 years old, and has a very sweet and childlike personality. Catbug's personality also makes him seem simpler and more carefree, like in the episode "Gas-Powered Stick," where he was seen talking to a spider, and in the ep
PersonalityCatbug may be about 10 years old, and has a very sweet and childlike personality. Catbug's personality also makes him seem simpler and more carefree, like in the episode "Gas-Powered Stick," where he was seen talking to a spider, and in the ep
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