Award, Not Ticket

One would hope that the Irvine police could find something better to do with their time and the taxpayers’ money than to go around arresting an individual for picking up litter off their city streets, sidewalks and parks. (“Retiree Gets a Ticket for Picking Up Trash,” March 13.)

I jog every morning and always stop to pick up any aluminum cans along the way. Our children have been taught to pick up cans in parks during softball or soccer seasons. Our youngest daughter counts and bags the cans, taking them to school, where the money collected from the cans is used to buy a piece of the Brazilian rain forest. This teaches respect for our local and global environment.

Nikolaj Grinenko deserves a congratulation, not a citation, for his efforts to help keep Irvine tidy. I am glad to hear he plans to keep picking up the cans and bottles. We do too!

LUCILLE A. HARRISON

Corona del Mar