Category Archives: Litter Cleanup

Hosting a Pliking event is like throwing a birthday party and inviting people you’ve never met.  I decide when and where to hold the celebration and send out invitations on Meetup and Facebook.  I gather party favors – grabbers, gloves and trash bags – and prepare refreshments, usually granola bars, but sometimes homebaked desserts orContinue reading “Pliking Party”

As I gather my rain gear for another wet pliking event, I am remembering an event at Pineview Reservoir a few years ago.  Those of us who were carpooling sat in my SUV at the mouth of Ogden Canyon and watched the rain pour down while we debated whether or not to hold the event. Continue reading “I’m Pliking in the Rain”

The first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970, the same day as Arbor Day and a convenient day – in between spring break and final exams – for the thousands of college students who demonstrated in the streets. It is estimated that 20 million people participated that first year. The 2021 theme forContinue reading “Restore our Earth”

Plika hasn’t been out much this winter, so I took them along when I went pliking at the Mill B Trailhead in Big Cottonwood Canyon. Fortunately, the trash was concentrated near the road, so after picking it up, we were able to enjoy a peaceful hike while listening to the stream with its tiny waterfalls.Continue reading “Plika at Mill B Trailhead”

Since September 2018, our pliking members have picked up thousands of pounds of trash – more than 550 large trash bags, in addition to many larger items that wouldn’t fit in a bag. Most of the trash collected is rather boring, and sometimes disgusting – fast food wrappers, cans, diapers and lately, masks.  However, sometimesContinue reading “Unusual Litter”

Last summer the Pliking Club hosted playaking events at Bear River and Mantua Reservoir.  Playaking is actually a bit precarious, particularly in an inflatable kayak.  In addition to balancing a paddle, grabber and trash bags, you have to be careful to avoid puncturing your kayak, which would leave you and the carefully collected trash floatingContinue reading “Playaking on Bear River”

Hiking in the Wasatch mountains, Patti and I stumbled upon a trash-covered campsite in the pristine wilderness.  With a frustrated sigh, I pulled a couple of large garbage bags from my pocket and we filled them with discarded cans, plastic wrappers and other debris.  We then began a joyless trudge down the steep hillside, carryingContinue reading “Litter on a Stick”

When I was at Beus Pond (Ogden City) last week, a young woman waved as she walked past pushing a stroller.  I watched her get into her car, then before leaving she threw her sanitizing wipe on the ground.  As I gathered my grabber and gloves to go and pick it up, another young womanContinue reading “Defeats the Purpose of Personal Protective Equipment”

MYTH: “The city pays someone to clean up, we shouldn’t have to do that.” TRUTH: The city DOES pay someone to clean up, but the hours required to maintain a clean city – especially one with 46 parks and 75 miles of trails – exceed what the city is able to afford. Cities rely onContinue reading “Litter Myths”