Paul Mabey, of Keene Street, has lost a few pounds in the past year and it’s not from dieting. Longtime Duxbury resident and a pharmacist in Hingham for the past thirty-two years, Mabey spends hours of his free time walking the streets of our town picking up litter. Paul tells us how he became involved with the Duxbury Litter Patrol and shares his passion for keeping things green.

Have you always hated litter?

I clearly remember as a child being taught not to litter. Then, in the early 70s, there was a famous commercial on TV known as the “Crying Indian.”  The environmental commercial showed a Native American shedding a tear after people throw trash from a speeding car and it lands at his feet. The announcer says: “People start pollution; people can stop it.”  Wow, it painted such a powerful picture and made me even more conscious of litter.

How did you and the other members of the Duxbury Litter Patrol find each other?

I became involved after seeing a notice for a town sweep in The Clipper and Duxbury resident Mary Gazzola has kept us together. 

Well, I think we got off to a late start but have come on strong and I think Duxbury looks great.  Many of our neighboring towns have held town-organized clean-up events for many years.  So, yes, other towns may have had a head start on us, but Mary Gazzola started our first town-wide litter sweep in 2011. Since then, there have been two litter sweeps and we’ve made much progress in other areas as well. 

We worked with town management to put forth a new zoning bylaw to make littering a finable offense.  This article was passed at the 2012 town meeting and now gives our police and health officials the ability to halt flagrant litterers by enforcing the law and doling out fines. To increase litter awareness and promote recycling, we created the Litter-Bug float for our recent Fourth of July parade.  We have also initiated an Adopt-a-Spot program, which allows residents to sign up to help take care of their favorite area of town.

What do you get out of volunteering your time and energy to clean up our streets?

I get a tremendous amount of satisfaction.  Litter is ugly.  When you remove it and turn soiled areas back into green landscape, it’s a great feeling. The best day was when I cleaned up the areas in front of the swan habitats near exit 11.  It was truly awful.  There is so much you cannot see from the street. I wish I took some before and after pictures. You just would not have believed it. Broken glass and cigarette butts are not good for the wildlife.  It was very sad.

Do you notice a difference?

Do you mean, is there less littering? I don’t think so. We all need to do a better job of educating people about the hazards of littering and how it negatively impacts the environment and reduces property values. Litter often ends up in the streams and rivers, which feed into larger bodies of water – contaminating drinking water and the oceans. Paper may break down in the water but, other items, especially plastic, never do. All kinds of plastic (including bags and balloons) are being ingested by, and killing animals and marine life – maybe as many as 1,000,000 each year! Let’s make a difference today and all stop littering this beautiful planet of ours and do more to reduce, reuse and recycle.

What are your tools of the trade?

I started out with just a pair of gloves and a bag or two but quickly progressed to pulling a wagon to collect all the litter that I was finding and to be able to stay out longer and cover more streets. I wear my signature floppy red hat, which protects me from tree branches and the sun. I also carry a dust pan for all the debris left behind by the many car crashes - items that are dangerous to cyclists like me and to children, pets and wildlife as they walk along. I have bug spray for the mosquitoes and ticks and a first aid kit for cuts and scrapes. I carry extra bags, gloves, food and drink, a phone and even a bungee cord to tow larger items behind.  My Boy Scout training has certainly prepared me well on how to respect nature and handle whatever comes my way.

What is the most obscure thing you have ever found or picked up?

That would have to be the trash-compactor someone threw over the guardrail on North Street.  Ironic, isn’t it? There were many items at that location, including a swing set and two toilets.  But the best item I ever found was the smart phone on Elm Street. When I turned it on, it showed some recently missed calls.  So I hit the redial and surprised the person who cautiously answered. She said her daughters’ phone was taken from her and would love to get it back. They were so excited when they arrived to retrieve the phone moments later.

What do you do with all of the trash you find and pick up?

I take everything to the Transfer Station. I throw out the trash in blue bags and recycle the cans, cardboard, plastic and glass.  I then donate the returnable items to the non-profit groups manning that area of the Transfer Station.

Occasionally I’ll turn in bottles and cans to earn funds to replenish my supplies, buying gloves, bags and even new tires for my wagon.  Just the other day, I collected 150 cans in just three hours – over 100 of them were Budweiser.

Do you have any hobbies?

The South Shore, and especially Duxbury, is a great place to enjoy nature.  I really enjoy bicycling, bird watching, puzzles, movies, music, hiking, traveling, history, science, fine dining and sports of any kind.  I’m especially looking forward to the upcoming Olympics.

Where can we find you when you’re not walking the streets picking up trash?

Probably out in my yard or sitting on the deck with my wife Mary, listening to music and the birds, while playing a game or reading a book.

How can interested parties offer to help or learn more?

We have a terrific Web site at duxburylitterpatrol.com. I can also be contacted via email at duxburylitterpatrol@gmail.com.