OK. You purchase a beautiful condo in a real pretty area. You’re so proud of your purchase but as the spring begins to poke it’s head, you notice mounds of cigarette butts, joint butts and chewing gum lying outside your front door, in flower beds and all over the parking lot. What do you do?
I am not a smoker. I was years ago but once I quit I never touched any form of ashy burning stick again. I try to be respectful of people and leave them to their devices regardless of how bad for their health it is. Out of the 8 units in my condominium complex, we are only 2 who don't smoke. The rules of the co-property are quite clear in stating that smokers need to keep their cigarettes and other forms of ashy burning sticks confined inside of a closed compartment. This is to avoid them flying all over the property. I was disgusted this weekend when areas of snow began to melt to unveil small mounds of butts in front of some of the unit renter’s doors. In addition to the mounds, the ashtrays on the unit renter’s porches were so full that they were literally spilling over onto the tables and the ground. A couple of the renters even threw a bunch of cigarette and joint butts outside of their back door leading onto the parking lot. There’s a forest right in back of the complex and I found a bunch of butts and chewing gum thrown in there as well. Meanwhile the robins and squirrels are frolicking around in there searching for crumbs.
I went around with a plastic bag and picked up as much of it as I could. It’s been raining a lot so things are not too easy to clear when soaking wet, but I tried. I even took the time to place the overloaded ash trays into bags hoping the renter’s would get the drift to empty them and keep the contents better confined. No dice. So I decided to write a the culprits a little note, seeing as I am a co-owner of the property. I kindly asked them to keep their butts confined as the rules ask and not to throw them on the ground, in the parking lot or in the woods because it’s dangerous for the animals (and awful for the plants).
Low and behold, one of the renter’s blocks me on Facebook. Like what? Is that how you deal with being asked to please follow rules and keep the animals safe? I am completely dumbfounded. Animals can ingest those things by accident and it can lead to a horrible and painful death. Not to mention that the renter’s let their own cat outside to roam around in the mounds of butts and gum. How do you deal with people like this? What bother’s me even more is that the renter who blocked me is constantly ranting on her Facebook wall about products that contain contaminants that are bad for the environment and animals. Yet she smokes and throws her butts all over the ground. Like what even?
And the chewing gum... that stuff will kill all kinds of animals. Just throw it in the garbage can.
Sorry for the rant. But geez...
