Litter Bugs

Have you ever noticed how some people just leave their trash behind them? I have never understood that. I cannot do that. It makes me physically uncomfortable to do that. I don't know why it is so easy for some people to do that. Why is it so easy for them, though? Do they think it's fine and normal? Do they think that's where trash belongs?

Well, each person in society has a different background, and has been raised differently. I distinctly remember on numerous occasions learning about the harms of littering. Furthermore, I remember going out and collecting garbage to clean up public areas. I remember doing this as part of a youth group, around the age of 9 or 10.

So what is it that is wrong with just leaving the trash behind as you go about your way? What is it that makes me uncomfortable? Well, I know it's wrong. It affects everybody. It harms the environment. It makes our cities ugly. It can hurt wildlife. It can poison the soil, and it can stick around forever. Well, not forever, but it certainly sticks around for the long term. It will likely outlast human society. What's worse is that it may stick around where you leave it, but it may not. Sometimes, it gathers to a somewhere else.

Grocery bags, for instance, tend to be drawn to areas around Wal-Marts. Cigarettes stay where they are left and actually seep poison into the ground, making it not grow as well for years. That's not an exaggeration. Cigarette butts, which are not biodegradable, affect the ground and soil for several years, as well as being toxic to any animal or small child that may put it in their mouth. Plastic that makes its way to the ocean gathers into garbage patches, notably the great pacific garbage patch. There seem to be others, but they are smaller and less well known.

Is there trash that you can leave behind safely? Well, you probably shouldn't, but if you can't pack everything with you, then the only safe items are organics. Things like banana peels, apple cores, branches, and other biodegradable organics are relatively short lived. It can still be obnoxious, and there are much better things to do with them, but they are not harmful.

So what can each of us do about it? Well, each item you properly put away in the garbage, recycling or compost keeps it off of the streets and keeps our cities and the whole world cleaner. If we can pick up litter that we come across and not add any of our own, that will make a difference. Each item that you don't add to the problem contributes to the solution.

If you choose to use packaging that can be reused and avoid disposable packaging, you are helping fix the problem. That comes down to shopping and planning, because you need to plan ahead to use reusable containers. You cannot just grab snacks in reusable containers at the last moment. It isn't the easiest thing, but it has a very positive impact on your own neighbourhood. If you do use disposable packaging like Ziploc bags, at least bring them home, maybe even reuse them. However, reusable packaging is much less likely to be thrown out or left behind, so it creates those good habits. If something breaks, don't just drop it on the ground and forget about it. Take it home, then you might be able to fix it.

So, what difference can you make? A lot. The problem was caused by a lot of individual people not worrying about what they were doing, so now it needs to be fixed by individual people doing their best. Each one of us by ourselves will not make much difference, but as we all try to do our best, it will add up to that big difference that we need to make in our cities.