Are many residents just unaware
On Sunday and Monday i was out doing Keep Framingham Clean duties as I've done since the first Green Up Day many many years ago now. The amount of trash Ive seen year to year doesn't seem to change much. Years ago it was cans and bottles, coffee cups and plastic bags. Now a days, way more plastic water bottles, hardly any plastic bags, lots of face masks and fast food wrappers, nips and gloves.
But today it hit me.. on the way back to my home on Sunday and today I noticed a huge amount of trash and recycle carts on the street ready to be picked up. As anyone who's lived here more than a year knows, today is a holiday for the Town and no trash will be picked up. Large sections of residents don't either know what today is, have no connection to city hall or just choose to stay unaware. It's reflective of our connection to local government. At any given council meeting there's no more than 50 people watching on Facebook. Perhaps 100 people watching on TV from home.
They (local politico's) need to figure out how to engage with more residents with timely information and reasons why residents should want to be informed. Trash carts out 1 or 2 days in advance are just one example of the disconnect.
posted by Jim Pillsbury @ 3:20 PM
9 Comments
9 Comments:
Excellent observation. I think many are disconnected completely from their own community and Framingham is a good example of that
Do you think neighborhood groups are a way to combat this
Residents of the ham are fed up with everything about our local government that spends all its time pointing fingers to put in the blame on others. Sick of listening to the bullshit so we all just tune out
Great to see so many taking part in the clean up. Like Jim I remember green up day. Why did that ever stop?
Awesome so many got involved. Interesting that the Mayor was not one of them
Was this organized by the city? I heard nothing about it except here
Seems that private citizens are much more effective at getting things done than our local government is. Does not give me much hope for the future
Many years ago.. Green-Up day was a Town wide event. Banners were strung over Edgell Road, newspapers covered it, DPW handed out plastic bags, gloves and water I seem to remember. DPW marked locations where people could drop the full bags for pick-up. The entire Town was involved including the schools. I don't remember when it stopped but it was started by a guy in Dover I believe in the 90's.
A few years ago I suggested to the environmental group here in the Ham that Green-Up day come back the weekend before Patriots day. It didn't catch on until this year when the millennials organized on FB. By the numbers, 102 clean ups documented, 250 volunteers helped out, 333 bags of trash picked up. The only way anyone knew about this is on FB.
The Town could have given this more attention imo. It is refreshing to see so many younger people, parents with kids and seniors take part in the movement.
Sounds like a great and effective idea that at the very least should be supported by the City, although I have to ask why they are not the ones organizing this. And they should at least pick up the full trash bags.
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