Top SF Realtor POV: San Francisco Trash Talk

by Ann De Bellevue

reading time: 1 minute and 31 seconds

Ann DeBellevue is a Realtor who has been active since 2002. She’s loved every minute of her years working with buyers and sellers in markets in Florida and California.

One person’s trash is…well…TRASH when it’s left on the street!

There’s a new volunteer opportunity in town. It’s called Refuse Refuse SF. You can find their information, blog and events calendar at refuserefusesf.org.

I’ve always been conscious about trash. I grew up in Florida where we were told how wrong it was/ is to litter. There was awareness, and there were also penalties – steep ones – for throwing things out of the car and littering the roadways. 

Since moving here I’ve been shocked to find there are no fines for anything to do with trashy garbage behavior. I see trash everywhere and all manner of people littering our streets. San Francisco’s litter problem is not unique and I’ve yet to visit a city that doesn’t have its share of trash. The difference is that other cities have programs to keep things clean.

A fellow Realtor not long ago started a daily practice of cleaning up around his home. He did it because nobody else was doing it. That seems to be where we must all begin – at home. And we can’t wait for someone else; we have to do it ourselves. 

It’s what Refuse Refuse is doing and it’s the volunteer opportunity I was looking for. I highly recommend it.

You’ll meet people who are like-minded and who want to help others and the community. You’ll walk away with a feeling of accomplishment. Yet, the biggest takeaway is you won’t look at our city the same way again. 

Check out Refuse Refuse, but start right now by picking up after yourself. Don’t toss your cigarette butt on the sidewalk. Be sure to place your coffee cup in the trash. Please don’t make somebody else dispose of that disposal diaper!

As with the pandemic – as with anything, really – we do our best together. Let’s make San Francisco shine!

Photo Credit: Kinga Kołodziejska