Editor,

Back in 2022 I wrote a letter to the editor about the “White-Bag-Guy” who I continue to see routinely picking up trash along our highway. His faithful dog stands guard during his collecting, and I stopped to talk with him recently.

He tells me that he and a few other people continue the mission: bagging the garbage and cast-off materials littering Whidbey Island. He tells me that there are folks on the South End who do a good job picking up the trash but that a lot of junk ends up scattered south of Oak Harbor.

I asked him what he thinks contributes to the proliferation of trash on our highway, and he was quick to tell me that unsecured loads, especially those plastic tarp ends wildly flapping from the back of a truck, create suction that pulls the loose bits onto the roadway. Securing the loads will cut down on the mess.

He’s not asking for recognition. He’s voluntarily doing something for all of us, on his own time as a community service. Thank you, “White-Bag-Guy”!

Mike Diamanti

Coupeville