Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Petty Annoyances, of the littering kind

For the past few years the Montreal subway has had two free papers: The Metro and 24 Hours. That doesn't annoy me, although perhaps their ridiculous "news coverage" would if I actually read them, but I don't so I won't even comment on that.

The Transit Commission installed covered recycling bins for the papers, since people were putting them in the open trash bins (or dumping them on the ground if they were total wankers) and when the subway wooshed in, paper flew. Everywhere. So kudos to the Transit Commission.

However, now that you have the handy closed bins, you still have all these morons who dump their paper in/beside the trash bin when the recycling bin is about 10 inches to the side. What the hell is wrong with these people? Are they blind? Congenital idiots?

How hard is it to use the recycling bin rather than thow the damn stupid news-coverageless-paper on the floor of the subway car or on top of an overflowing rubbish bin?

People are idiots. As ChooChoo regularly points out to me, people are stupid.

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There's a cool supermarket, Les 5 saisons (the 5 seasons) near the office that has a salad/hot meal bar as well as a good deli counter. It's a great place to pick up a freshly cooked meal for lunch.

As a huge added advantage, as soon as the weather gets nice, they set up tables (with parasols no less) outside so people can eat on the premises. With garbage cans all around. How great is that?

And so the people sit. And eat. And oops, along comes a breeze that picks up that leftover napkin, or that empty styrofoam coffee cup.

And they keep sitting there. (You see where this is going don't you?)

And the napkin/cup blows to the ground.

And there they sit. Not making the slightest move to pick up their junk! And it drives me insane because it's not that freaking hard to bend down and PICK! UP! YOUR! DAMN! TRASH! YOU! PIGS!*

What the hell is wrong with these people?

Personally, if I were the store owner, I'd take the tables away. But he's obviously nicer than me.

* My most humble aplogies to all pigs for the insult, but the cliché was so easy to use, plus it would have lost a lot of emphasis if I had yelled YOU! HUMANS!

10 comments:

Cycling Goddess said...

Another great post *even wilder applause* and so so true. I've disliked these free newspaper since they were introduced years ago. And I agree, people are stupid to not care about the trash they create. Totally stupid.

furiousBall said...

I can't stand seeing this stuff either. I have been known to get out of my car at a light and knock on someone's window that flung a cigarette out of their car and ask them what they're thinking.

Ian Lidster said...

What can I say? There is a public recycling site next to our supermarket and it boggles my mind how people dump their crap on the ground beside the bins rather than insert. WTF in red letters.

Anonymous said...

In my office, a supposedly advanced (evolved), civilized, environment-friendly/conscious community (our leaders refer to us all as the " Insert Company Name" community), the following disturbing SHIT happens on a daily basis:

soda cans thrown in the regular garbage while it is a known and well publicized fact that one of our colleagues collects them to get $$$ for charity (everybody knows and as seen the colleague in question as he/she is anything but dicsreet about the laudable mission

Stacks of those free coverageless papers left lying around while we have clearly labeled recycling bins

Defective (leaking) plumbing apparatus (toilets, taps, water fountain) left unattended while our Company has participated in water saving initiatives and is constantly boasting on its efforts to become "Green".

And many paperful processes, including distributions of printed litterature promoting a paperless environment...

I concur with Ian: WTF in bold red letters!!!

geewits said...

I've probably let a napkin or two blow away, but I would definitely go after the styrofoam cup. I've been recycling since 1989. They didn't have a service back then, so I took my stuff to places I found downtown. When my minivan was full of crushed beer cans, I'd get about $62. I didn't sell the paper and cardboard, just gave it to the paper people. It made my life a lot easier when the cities started in on it! I'm laughing at furiousball, because I only throw out a butt when no one is around. Good thing. He'd scare me to pieces!

VioletSky said...

My balcony is littered with pigeon poop. They too, are ignorant creatures.

Oh, wait, my real issue is with the cigarette butts that are littering my balcony. And no, I do not smoke. But I have often wondered why smokers seem to think they have every right to just drop, or flick, their butts wherever they please and think that it is not littering??

XUP said...

Jazz, you are insanely psychic. Not 2 hours ago I was waiting at a bus stop and some young female person was chatting away on her cell eating candy and dropping the wrappers at her feet and when she got a flavour she didn't like, spitting the candy on the sidewalk. I did the tsk tsk thing for a while and finally said, "do you drop garbage all over your home, too?" She just looked at me like I was a looney old woman...which I guess I almost am. (And, Violetsky, I'm sooo with you on the butts. I did a whole post on that one once)

Big Brother said...

Right you are little sister. People are unthinking idiots.
What really gets me going are people who walk their dogs and let them shit and pee all over the place. Makes me want to follow them to their house and have a crap in their front yard.

Jocelyn said...

Maybe the recycling bin just needs to be moved ten inches to the side, and then everything will go into it.

Yea, even I know that's a pretty lame attempt at a joke.

Jazz said...

UA - (I keep thining United Airlines when I type that - LOL) you make me blush...

Fuball - I knew there was a reason I love you.

Ian - You think in 2008 they'd have caught on, eh?

Mr. Jazz - Got to love the "paperless" office. I'm sure we generate even more paper now that every verison of every little thing can be easily printed in multiple versions.

Geewits - I can just imagine you and Furiousball getting together for a beer. The world would never be the same.

Violet - And it takes 2-5 years for a cigarette filter to biodegrade. I don't even want to think of a styrofoam cup. At least a paper napkin is quick.

XUP - I have taken over your mind and from now on will blog about what happens to you. Bwwahahahahaha

BB - I'd love to see you take a crap on someone's lawn. Please call me when you do so.

Joce - You are obviously very tired today. Usually you do better than that.