To my wife’s annoyance I am getting obsessed with litter – is this what middle age feels like? | Arwa Mahdawi

Philadelphia, where I live, is nicknamed Filthadelphia and I'm getting more disgusted by the day

I have been having some very dirty thoughts lately, and it's been driving my wife bonkers. Just look at all the litter!" I'll exclaim numerous times a day. Why is there so much rubbish on the street? Why aren't there more bins in this city? Why does Philadelphia [where I live] have such a subpar municipal waste management system?" These are all valid questions (there is a reason Philly has the nickname Filthadelphia), but my wife doesn't want to hear about city sanitation any more. Please," she keeps saying, get over it!"

The thing is, I can't get over it. Is it a function of middle age? Am I losing my mind? I don't know what has precipitated it, but I am hung up on waste management. I have gone full disgusted-of-Tunbridge-Wells about it, as we all should, really. Litter isn't just unsightly and unhygienic, it is associated with more crime and antisocial behaviour: cleaning up neighbourhoods makes them safer. Sanitation workers are the unsung heroes of the streets: the US should be diverting some of the money it gives to its bloated police departments to street cleaners. If I was going to run for mayor (I'm not), that would be at the top of my policy platform.