Garbage Pickup Price Spike Prompts PETA Proposal: Trash Truck Ads
For Immediate Release:
April 19, 2021
Contact:
Tapi Mbundure 202-483-7382
After the Mattawa City Council voted to raise the residential garbage pickup rate, PETA sent a letter today—just ahead of Earth Day—to Mayor Maria M. Celaya offering to help offset costs for residents by paying to place its “Meat and Dairy Trash the Planet—Go Vegan” ads on city garbage trucks.
“Going vegan saves animals, slashes carbon emissions, and cleans up the planet,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “Mattawa’s trash could be PETA’s treasure, if we can use it to spread the news that there’s no better way to ‘go green’ than to go vegan.”
The group is making a similar offer to the mayor of Baltimore, where eligible households will soon receive free recycling carts—with, PETA hopes, its “Go Vegan” ads on them.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org.
PETA’s letter to Celaya follows.
April 19, 2021
The Honorable Maria M. Celaya
Mayor of Mattawa
Dear Mayor Celaya:
I’m writing on behalf of PETA and our more than 6.5 million members and supporters worldwide, including many across Washington, following reports that the Mattawa City Council recently voted to raise the residential garbage rate. We would like to offer to help offset costs for residents by paying the city to place our “Meat and Dairy Trash the Planet. Go Vegan” ads on city garbage trucks. These Earth-friendly ads will remind residents that one of the best ways to clean up the planet is to take personal responsibility by going vegan.
Interest in “going green” is high—millions of people are making a concerted effort to decrease their carbon footprint. But many aren’t aware of the meat and dairy industries’ devastating impact on the environment. The United Nations has stated that a global shift toward a vegan diet is vital if we are to combat the worst effects of climate change and that animal agriculture is “one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global.” With Earth Day right around the corner, now is the perfect time to raise awareness of the importance of long-term ecological sustainability.
In addition to trashing the planet, the meat and dairy industries cause untold amounts of animal suffering. Chickens, fish, cows, and pigs feel pain and fear, just as the animals we share our homes with do, yet they are routinely abused in ways that would be illegal if dogs or cats were the victims. The throats of chickens and turkeys are cut while they’re still conscious, the tails and testicles of piglets are cut off without the use of painkillers, and fish are left to suffocate on the decks of fishing boats or are cut open while still alive.
Our ads would represent a victory for animals, the environment, and the city, and embracing a vegan lifestyle is the perfect way to celebrate Earth Day! Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.
Very truly yours,
Ingrid Newkirk
President
