We all know that littering is bad. When you see that person throw their fast food bag out the window of their car or throw their cigarette butt onto the ground, you know they shouldn't be doing this, but do you know the effect their behavior is having on our planet? Sure, litter can make a neighborhood look low class or dirty, but litter has much more devastating of an impact than just appearances.
Littering hurts all living things on the planet from humans to animals to our plant life. Whether it is from soil run off, water pollution or items that can be recycled, but are not clogging the space for our breathing friends. According to dosomething.org the EPA estimates that 75% of our waste is recyclable, but only 30% is actually recycled. That means that there is a massive amount of garbage sitting in our landfills, oceans, parks and elsewhere that could actually be recycled. Cans, glass bottles, paper and cardboard thrown into the garbage instead of being properly recycled is just such a joke! Is our planet really going to come to it's demise partially because we were too lazy to put our garbage into the right bin?
But this blog is not about recycling. (That was Monday's blog.) Litter hurts our wildlife.
You have seen the photos of the turtle with it's shell deformed from being stuck in an empty six pack plastic ring. This is real. Soil and water become contaminated from litter. We need water to survive. Our food comes from the earth whether you are eating the plants that grow from this contaminated soil or if the animals you are eating feed from this soil. It effects all of us.
People litter because they are lazy and think that someone else will pick up their garbage. Litterbugs
think that littering is a victim-less crime when in reality littering can cost shit tons of money to clean up which usually comes out of our tax money. As a matter of fact, recycling creates more jobs for our economy versus waste management. Those that litter typically have no respect for another's property or for the planet. So what do we do?
Basic Solutions:
Don't be the problem. This one is obvious, but don't litter.
Carry a litter bag in your car so that you can dispose of your garbage when you are on the run.
Ensure your garbage can and recycling are properly secured so that when you bring it out to the curb, a strong gust doesn't litter your garbage down the street.
Pick up litter on and near your property.
Boss Solutions:
Plant flowers. People are less likely to litter in a nicely landscaped area.
Plan a neighborhood clean up. It's more fun to pick up litter with some friends.
Adopt a Highway.
Provide cigarette butt litter receptacles to local bars without them.
Bad Ass Boss Solutions:
Contact your local government. See if what initiatives they are currently working on and where you can help.
Donate trash receptacles to local parks, trails, and community areas.
Educate. Reach out to local schools and rec centers to see if you can set up an educational class on litter prevention.
Partner with local festivals and food trucks to either help them set up a plan to prevent waste from their event/business to hit the ground.
We may not be able to stop shitty people from being litterbugs, but we can at least ensure that we are doing everything we can to not contribute to the problem.
Also, PS littering is illegal and a terrible thing to do, so don't be a shit bag.