Litter:A Continuing Epidemic
By Lyndsay Smith
6 Mar 2008
A few weeks ago, on a nice winter afternoon in Pennsylvania, I took a walk through the woods located not too far from my home. I've always been a fan of the outdoors, so it was normal for me to spend time enjoying nature's surroundings. But it was that afternoon's walk which would have a serious impact on the way I view our world.
As I took a closer look around, I noticed the amount of litter that had been gathered in the woods. Soda cans, candy wrappers, food containers, and other forms of litter were thoughtlessly tossed onto the ground. This prompted me to grab my camera and photograph different places in my area. I angrily, documented the litter epidemic that was consuming our Planet. I was appalled by the selfish acts of individuals who, instead of walking over to a trash can to throw away their used up refuse, chose to cast their eyesores of garbage onto the Earth for all to see. There really is no excuse in this day and age for all the litter that consumes the soil on which we walk and live. There are trash bins at every rest stop, convenience store, restaurant, park and grocery store we visit. There are dumpsters everywhere we look, yet somehow, we as humans still manage to discard our waste onto the ground.
Litter affects many aspects of our daily lives that we don't always notice or even care to consider. The cost for cleanup of any state is astronomically high. Last year in Pennsylvania alone, taxpayers shelled out 6 million dollars for road side cleanup. I don't know about you, but I think 6 million dollars is an enormous amount of money spent on something that could so easily be controlled. Instead of that money going to waste pickup, it could be used to help families. The same families who need money to put food on the table and clothes on their children's backs, because they're unable to afford it.
Not only is litter an expensive atrocity, it is also a fire hazard. Statistics show that a fire starts every 12 minutes due to litter. Imagine how many wild fires could have been prevented had we thrown our trash into the bins provided for us. Litter is also a hazard to our precious wild life. Animals don't understand that the trash we so carelessly toss aside could kill them. Thousands of animals each year die, due to either choking or strangling on rubbish thrown onto the ground. And last but surely not least, it is a driving hazard to all who are on the road. There are many accidents each year caused by debris on the road. Some examples of the hazardous debris we've all seen are the following: shredded tires, a card board box blowing down the highway, a plastic bag, and even a backpack.
I think what is so irritating to me about this epidemic is that it could so easily be avoided. As I stated earlier, there are trash cans and dumpsters everywhere we look. Instead of discarding the trash onto the ground, take the extra 12 steps and throw it into the trash container that is provided for us. If you are taking a stroll and notice litter lying on the ground, pick it up and throw it away. Our society has become so lazy that it's to the point where if the trash can is not right in front of us, we won't go to it. We take the easier path towards accomplishing everything. We use the drive-through at fast food restaurant chains. We also throw our soda cans out of our car windows instead of waiting until we arrive home to properly discard them.
In closing, every one of us must do our part to contain the litter epidemic by throwing away trash. Additionally, if we raise awareness of the negative affects littering has on our precious Planet and our way of life; it is amazing what we could actually accomplish.
