MADISON, Wis. — When Dick Saunders retired last December, he needed something to do to keep himself busy. But when the pandemic hit and places started shutting down in April, Saunders took it upon himself to find something meaningful to do that required little effort, and a lot of heart for the city he grew up in.
“When you’re retired, you can do just about anything you want to,” Saunders said.
Saunders goes out several times a week to pick up trash across from the East Towne Mall along East Washington Ave. He said in four hours, he collects seven to eight bags of trash.
“I will also find nails and screws in the street. I’ve probably saved a lot of people from a flat tire,” he said.
Saunders also finds and returns shopping carts to the stores they came from.
“I picked up a Home Depot cart over on Lein road about a mile and a half away from Home Depot,” Saunders said. “They would not have known about it unless someone told them.”
Saunders said he enjoys getting the opportunity to help beautify Madison.
“It helps all these businesses along here,” he said. “I used to do it for property management. I know the value of seeing things cleaned up.”
He said he plans to continue picking up trash even after the pandemic is over, but hopes that more people will stop throwing trash on the sides of the streets.
“I suggest people keep a wastebasket in their car. A small one with a liner,” he said. “Then, when they’re done with their coffee, they can just throw it in there. It will keep their car cleaner and they can just throw it in there when they’re done.”
Saunders said the biggest lesson he learned since starting this solo project was that “You can change things on your own by doing something small like this. It’s a lot of satisfaction when you do it. It looks really nice when you’re done.”
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