Walmart, Keep Your Lot Clean

When this litter-cleaning protester started cleaning Walmart’s lot one day back in January, one of their managers forbade me to do so, perhaps recognizing that it was not a service; it was a protest of their litter. 

She said that they have a crew that cleans their lot, every two weeks.  I pointed out that every two weeks was clearly not enough.  She said that they also send out people to clean as needed.  And yet, their lot was very littered.  “We have too much volume to keep up with it!” she cried.  I said that meant that they make enough money to keep it clean, yet I have never seen anyone cleaning their lot, though I have at other stores.

Grants Pass Walmart, January

I called Walmart headquarters about their litter cleaning policies.  They said that they have a separate litter crew clean every other week, and clean otherwise as needed.  I told them that, at this store, it is not cleaned as needed.  While traveling later that year, I checked out Walmarts in other cities; they were just as bad as ours.  It seems that Walmart, like many corporations, has a policy of doing no more than local police make them do to comply with city codes, and like ours, many cities don’t push them to keep their lot clean.

Newport Walmart, March

Fast food franchises also have a lot of disorderly customers, but they actually work at keeping their little lots clean, sending out a worker several times a day to clean, to protect their franchise reputations.  People expect restaurants to be clean, outside as well as inside.

Fairly new bark in Grants Pass Walmart lot, holding litter, mostly butts

Letting litter lie around Walmart’s lot builds the disorderly habitat that criminals prefer, contributing to theft in their lot.  Having a few people out in the lot cleaning all the time would not only make the place more orderly; it would provide security to shoppers.  Cameras are useful mainly after the crime and cover limited areas; a person working on litter cleaning can see someone breaking into a car and call the cops immediately, and criminals know it.

Litter, mostly under bottle machines, because they sweep rather than using a grabber

The tools provided for cleaners by the bottle machines: brooms and a dustpan

As one of the largest stores and parking lots in town, they set a bad example for the rest; other large stores seem to follow their lead.  They have improved slightly lately, but are clearly not giving their workers sufficient time and proper tools to do the job, as small litter abounds.  Litter cleaners need litter grabbers, an item that Walmart sells and could easily provide to their cleaners.  They should have 3 or 4 cleaners with grabbers and buckets in their lot during the day and evening hours, working on it for their whole shift, and rotate that duty among their newer workers, teaching all of their employees not to litter and to pick it up when they see it.

Lots of little litter means not enough time spent or proper tools used

Walmart shows their contempt for their customers and employees by not keeping their lot clean.  Most of us do not litter, and we would prefer a clean parking lot.

Special December issue, at GPlittercleaner.blogspot.com and at the Mail Center, 305 NE 6^th St. 

Gardening is easy if you do it naturally.  Litter is tagging, marking the territory of the disorderly.

Rycke Brown, Natural Gardener                 541-955-9040             rycke@gardener.com