Man Cleans Up San Diego One Sticker At A Time

SAN DIEGO -- Armed with his own homemade gadget, some paint remover and a handy pail, Chris Cott sets out for a walk.

"There's stuff on almost every single sign," said Cott. "People laugh at me, but you know what? It makes it a little bit better and it's not that big of a deal."

Sometimes, Cott does it on impulse. Other times, he goes on planned runs.

For years, Cott has been stripping off stickers and graffiti. It's on private property, on signs, lampposts and other places. Cott said it's visual pollution that mars San Diego County.

"They're everywhere you look," said Cott.

How many stickers has Cott removed? He estimates he has removed more than 200,000 since he started.

"Eventually, you'll see an area look better. Mission Beach and Pacific Beach used to have thousands them and now there's maybe a dozen," said Cott.

A dozen stickers that Cott said never go away.

"You come to an intersection; you see them on the signs. Some of these signs are so obliterated that you couldn't even read them anymore. The parking signs and stuff, just a lot of visual pollution," said Cott.

Cott's compulsion has no limits. He has scraped off stubborn stickers in Las Vegas and Hawaii, or wherever he sees them.

"It's like walking your dog and picking up some trash. You know, taking a walk, pick up some stickers; it's not that big of a deal," said Cott.

It's just another day for Cott, who said it has to start somewhere.

"I can tell you there's probably been 2,000 people walk by and they just figure someone else will do it. Well, I guess I'm that someone else," said Cott.