Trashapathy

An article from the May 6 L.A. Times caught my eye as neighbors have sought means to get other neighbors to clean up:

In a survey of 900 respondents questioned by ServiceMagic.com, 63% said that they have had neighbors who failed to maintain their homes' exteriors, yet 41% said they had not reported the blighters to authorities. They "just put up with" the blemishes.

Urging neighbors in person to roll on some paint or crank up the weed whacker isn't a popular option either; 75% of respondents said they had not confronted messy neighbors face to face, and of those who did, 18% said the chat created tension and resulted in no work being done on the offending property.

Top irritants: overgrown weeds, 64%; unmown and underwatered lawns, 63%; garbage needing to be hauled away, 57%; exteriors in need of paint, 42%; junk cars, 42%; repair needed for visible house defect, 39%; and cars parked on the street, 24%.