One of the perks of my litter walkabouts is the opportunity to catch up with neighbours and friends. Our conversations traditionally span a wide range of topics and end, of course, with a discussion of their personal litter pet peeve.
Today I was doing my morning cleanup at the Trace Manes Children’s Park (not too bad…two Starbucks plastic iced tea cups with Mark’s name on them and a pile of dog poop by the wading pool) when I ran into a neighbour. As usual we bounced from topic to topic and finally landed on her husband’s litter pet peeve: flyers which get posted on their front yard lamp post. “The only ones I leave up are for lost dogs.”
I must admit that this is also one of my litter pet peeves. Earlier in the week, as I was removing a flyer for dog walking, I was actually approached by a woman on a bike who asked me why I was removing her poster. She said “I use it as a free way to advertise my services and build my business.”
To all the local small businesses – I admire your entrepreneurial spirit and wish you every success. Unfortunately, your flyers end up creating a mess. Inevitably, these pages get ripped, or rained on and left scattered on the ground, shredded or soggy. Or, your poster may get papered over and over by other small business owners. There is also a little known city bylaw created by Municipal Licensing and Standards that says posters taped or glued on hydro poles, bus shelters, and parking meters can result in a fine up to $500 per poster. So they may not be free after all.
Rather than spending time and money creating and posting flyers, why not reach over 3,000 Leasiders with a quick post to the Leaside Community or Leaside Moms Buy/Sell Facebook sites? It’s time to let lamp posts do their real job – lighting our way at night.
