To the editor:
Once again, a certain corner of Facebook has decided it’s time to squawk about the purple bags. I’ve seen the posts — people calling for bins, barrels, and “real trash solutions.” But I’d argue we already have something real, something authentic, something… gloriously vulnerable.
Yes, the purple bags are flimsy. Yes, a stiff breeze or an enthusiastic nudge can send them tumbling open like a spring blossom. But is that not part of their charm? Their accessibility? Their sheer availability of opportunity?
Some complain that the bags attract attention, that they scatter too easily, that they end up in places they shouldn’t. But I find that to be one of their more admirable qualities. They inspire curiosity, exploration. They share.
Replacing them with heavy, secured bins might seem tidy on the surface, but we must ask ourselves — at what cost? What are we losing in terms of tradition, spontaneity, and the unique spirit of Gloucester’s waste management landscape? Besides, the financial cost to the city could be upwards of thirteen dollars.
Let the barrels stay where they belong — sitting behind your shed as rainwater-filled mosquito breeding grounds or serving as impromptu furniture at yard meat gatherings. The purple bags are our heritage. Our identity.
Steven C. Gull
Rogers Street
Gloucester
The Dogtown Reader 