Everyone knows that litter on our sidewalks and streets is unsightly and depreciates the value and image of our community, but it is less well-known that litter can pose a direct physical danger to our well-being.

Litter eventually washes into our storm water drains and basins and can clog them so severely that in times of heavy rainfall serious flooding can occur. Recently, we heard at a Village of Great Neck meeting that one storm basin was filled to capacity with plastic water bottles that had been discarded, impeding the proper drainage of water. In the winter, the situation can also be dangerous because vast icy ponds can form when melting snow does not drain, leaving slush behind and refreezing at night when the temperatures drop, making for slick conditions for drivers and pedestrians alike.

Obviously, cleaning these drains and basins is an expensive business. Special equipment has to be leased and many man-hours are required to operate the machinery. Although the drainage system along Middle Neck Road is the responsibility of Nassau County, villages have undertaken the cleaning for the basins because Nassau County has simply not been doing its job. A cost-saving measure for the county is an add-on cost to the villages.

It is our theory that readers of the Record are civic minded and probably drop litter, oh, novel idea, in the generously distributed wastebaskets that line the major streets. So, we are calling on you for ideas to assist village officials in conquering the litter that is not only sullying the beauty of our community, but endangering its inhabitants as well.

- Carol Frank