To the Journal editor:

I’m writing to you to express concern over public waste disposal in the city of Marquette.

Marquette is a town that markets itself on its outdoor opportunities and nature-oriented way of life. This draws in many adventurous tourists and sustainably minded residents.

With lots of people outside, this leads to inevitable outdoor waste. In the downtown area, there are various garbage bins that downtown Marquette is responsible for.

However, many plastic, paper, and glass items are often tossed into these bins. It would behoove downtown Marquette to consider adding sporadic recycling bins next to most of these trash cans to reduce the amount of waste created in this area.

This would be especially beneficial in areas such as the Lower Harbor and McCarty’s Cove where there are no close retail businesses because people are more likely to not be able to dispose of their waste indoors.

Having recycling bins available at events such as the farmer’s market and seasonal festivals would also help with waste reduction.

An additional point for consideration would be adding signage along with bins to indicate where to place garbage and where to place recycling, as public knowledge on this topic is still pretty blurry.

Given that the demographic of Marquette appreciates the outdoors, they would appreciate the downtown taking an initiative to help divert waste from landfills.

This will not only help our planet by hopefully lessening our waste but also help Marquette’s image as a sustainable city.