Menus, Flyers and Coupons

One thing that I have never quite understood in my four years living here in Philadelphia is the use of littering as an advertising strategy. This is principally concerning the distribution of restaurant menus, grocery store coupons, and party flyers. I find it ridiculous that representatives for these groups consider it acceptable to stuff menus and flyers in people’s doors and on their stoops, or just throw them on the ground so that people will see gain awareness of their existence. The enormously huge percentage of these menus and flyers are almost immediately turned into street waste. Based on the huge amount of menus and flyers blowing around and accumulating in the corners of Philadelphia’s streets, this is obviously a common practice. There is no way that those are all menus that customers just don’t want. Clearly the businesses themselves are purposefully littering in order to increase awareness about their enterprise. Why can’t anything be done about this?! It’s not like the city doesn’t know who is doing this… they are advertising THEIR business. I hope that the city seriously looks into punishing these businesses for this unacceptable and irresponsible form of advertising.