Use me. I can handle it. I’m having your litter. These are not excerpts from a dysfunctional relationship, but examples of signs you may soon be noticing on trash receptacles along Garnet Avenue. The busy street is home to many of Pacific Beach’s most popular bars, restaurants and shops – as well as cigarette butts and other litter. “That trash ends up in our waterways and in our beaches and bays,” Pacific Beach Town Council President Rick Oldham said. “It’s a blight on the community and the city at large.” The Town Council has made beautifying the community one of its top priorities. Its cleanup events clear hundreds of pounds of litter from the beach and streets each month. Now, Town Council members want to get Pacific Beach residents and visitors thinking and talking trash – long-term. To that end, the PBTC has partnered with students of the Art Institute of California – San Diego to present the Clean PB Education Campaign. Centered around the concept of CLEAN (Community Litter Education and Awareness Network), the campaign’s slogan is “Let’s talk trash.” The program’s aim is not to shame people into throwing away their trash, say program organizers, but to encourage community members to discuss the area’s litter problem and come up with solutions. The Town Council first discussed the campaign in September 2007, when Art Institute students Jeff Hunter, SueAnn Erickson and David Gonsalves presented their series of humorous, eye-catching signage designed to appeal to the area’s youthful, fun-loving demographic. Their work impressed the judges of a national design contest and resulted in almost $13,000 in grants from SAPPI Paper Co. to create and distribute their unique messaging. In addition to trash receptacle signage, the campaign features signs and classified ads for “Found” objects such as plastic drinking cups, brown bottles, metal cans and other common litter items. Another campaign fixture is bar coasters with messages such as “Keep it clean,” “Drinks are on me” and “Back that trash up.” The lighthearted coasters also have a serious side. The back sides feature an “everything is connected” puzzle that illustrates how a single piece of trash, when combined with others, becomes a big litter problem. For more information, visit www.cleanpb.com.