To the editor:

I was horrified to see when I went to Double Bluff last weekend that, as of March 1, the county will stop picking up garbage there and, I presume, all the other county parks. Please join me in protesting this decision.

I know the county is severely challenged for money these days, but garbage collection is not where it should make the cuts.

Other than roads, I have virtually no interaction with the county government. I’m not building a house, getting a disease that’s a danger to the public health, or running a meth lab. I can’t off-hand think of anything more important to me on a day-to-day basis than garbage collection.

Looking at a landscape full of litter depresses my spirit. It’s also a health and environmental hazard with long-term consequences. This is not like a decision to save money by mowing the grass less often or at all.

Ignored garbage doesn’t go away. Even when it breaks down enough to become invisible, it continues to cause harm, poisoning the environment. Will people really put dog poop and other trash in their cars and dispose of it at home? Very few will. Without trash collection, parks like Double Bluff Beach will become dog sewers and garbage dumps, poisoning the water and disgusting its users.

Please call or write the county immediately to prevent this!

What to cut instead? I have lots of ideas. If the county wants my advice on what to eliminate in place of garbage collection, it should feel free to call me — I’d be happy to help.

Sharon Emerson
Langley