May 17, 2026 Editor, The News-Gazette: Yesterday I spent a couple of hours along U.S. 60 picking up trash for the semi-annual community trash pick-up day. I volunteer with our local Democratic Party. Our stretch of road runs from the Goodwill to the Exxon station.
I have been doing this for several years now. Each year it gets a little bit harder as I get a little bit older (I am currently 73). The most popular items for throwing out of car windows seem to be 1. cigarette butts; 2. fast food cups and straws; and 3. beer or soda cans. There are so many cigarette butts; it is hard to imagine so many people still smoking when cigarettes cost more than $9 a pack.
I would like to ask every person guilty of throwing things out of their car windows to stop and think about the repercussions those actions cause.
Many of us who volunteer are senior citizens - who tend to volunteer out of a sense of civic duty, have the time to do so, and like seeing the beauty of our county preserved for all who live here - including those who throw the trash out of their windows.
The next time you decide to just throw something out of your window, stop a moment and imagine your grandmother following behind picking up after you, because that is most likely the case. Maybe not your personal grandmother, but someone’s grandmother. She probably picked up after you when you were small and you didn’t know any better. But she is a lot older now, and picking up after you gets more difficult every year. And at this age in life, you truly know better … As far as those addicted to cigarettes, do yourself and your community a favor. Please have enough self-worth and self-respect to stop giving your hard- earned dollars to tobacco companies who are, in turn, producing a product which will eventually kill you and cause you many serious health problems on your way down. The more people who quit smoking, the less butts I will have to pick up. It’s a win, win for us all! BETH HOUSER Lexington
