As we drove into Canada, the first thing that struck me was how clean it looks. We crossed the border from Michigan into Ontario. Both sides of the border were fairly rural. Nonetheless, Canada looked greener and somehow prettier to my eyes.
It took me a while to figure out why Canada appeared this way. It wasn’t like there were more trees there. The terrain is virtually the same. So, I started to wonder… Is the grass really greener once you get north of the border?
After driving across two Canadian provinces now, the answer finally hit me. Canada looks different because there’s virtually no litter!
Hear me out on this… Whenever you are driving in the US, whether it’s on a highway, rural road, or city – there ALWAYS seems to be litter on the the edge of the road.
Little pieces of paper, random trash, or cigarette butts are strewn along the gravel shoulder. Then there’s the smattering of beer and soda cans every few yards. Sometimes you’ll even see pieces of clothing, gross dirty diapers, or car parts that seem to have been left behind.
I don’t know how all this litter gets on our roads in the US. I’ve personally never thrown trash out of my car window while driving. I love the memorable “Don’t mess with Texas” motto. It’s all about preventing litter and trash on our roads.
Somehow, all this unsightly litter detritus seems to be missing from Canadian roads. Why do you suppose this is?
Do they have more inmate road crews picking up litter along the highway?(I never saw one, so probably not the answer).
Are they more conscientious about their environment?
Do they have more trash cans readily available in Canada (like right outside every Tim Horton’s)?
Perhaps it’s an insight to their more collective psyche instead of American individualism?
Or, is it simply the high gas prices ($1.29/L) mean there are fewer large pickup trucks driving around with their beds filled with junk that is just waiting to fly out as their drivers exceed the speed limit?
I don’t have any good answers to this question. But, I do know this. Canada looks so nice. Whether it’s their highways, city streets, or parks. Canada is just clean. And that cleanliness makes you want to spend more time in the outdoors enjoying nature.
You call this a roadside ditch? If you’re in Canada, the answer is yes!