Ah, San Francisco! The views, the bay, the trash! We live smack in the middle of an urban paradox. The beauty of this city attracts more and more visitors, the more visitors we have the more garbage they leave behind.

For months, we muddled through the dirt, noise and traffic snarls of round-the-clock construction crews until finally, the beautification project of the waterfront was complete. But when I leave work and walk home along the embarcadero at night, I don’t see the lights of the bridge sparkling on the bay. Instead, I see empty beer bottles and soggy newspapers. I step carefully over forgotten hamburger wrappers and paper cups.

Despite my office attire, I stoop down and pick up trash and carry it to the garbage cans—which never seem to be full or more than a few steps away.

San Francisco is a beautiful city.  Let's keep it that way.

Every night I do this. Every night other citizens of San Francisco run by in their jogging shoes and look away from me and my armfuls of yesterday’s leavings. 

I know the arguments against picking up trash off the street: "It’s gross, it’s disgusting, and it’s not mine!" Yes, it is gross and disgusting. That’s why we really don’t want it going into the bay. (Have you noticed how few seagulls and other marine animals there are today?) And, of course, I know it’s not your trash. No one would ever suspect you of throwing cigarette butts and coke cans down on the freshly paved streets of the embarcadero. I also know you would never expect someone to pick up after you.

The catch is, however, even if you’re not part of the problem, you really are needed to be part of the solution. I promise you won’t be late to your appointments if you stop to pick up that plastic bag rolling by, and it really won’t do you any harm to wash your hands when you get where you’re going anyway. Remember in a city like this, we all share the view.

So—wanna get involved? Visit the S.F. Adopt-A-Street Program at www.sfdpw.com  to learn more about keeping the streets around your home and business clean of trash. You can pick up brooms and other supplies free of charge. You can also report on litter, illegal dumping, and graffiti.

Hands on San Francisco is another wonderful volunteer organization for improving the community we live in. Contact them at www.hosf.org  for a schedule of activities like the Ocean Beach Clean-up where trash and debris is cleared from the shore, or the Clement Street Clean-up where the streets and parks of the outer Richmond are attended to.

Read about artist and activist Robin Burrows at www.sfgate.com who became so outraged by the illegal dumping around her home that she started moonlighting as an after-hours garbage lady. Like me, you’ll be inspired by what a difference one person can make.

Remember when San Francisco looked like this?

         Photographs (c) 2000 by Betsy Malloy. http://gocalifornia.about.com