Litter is for Catboxes

Trash is inevitable. Litter is a choice. As much as it pains me to admit it, I don't think it's possible to live a completely trash-free life. Well, it is possible, but it would require significant lifestyle changes. This blog is about first steps toward a better world. It's not a master class. For example, I'm sure that I'm not alone in saying I'm not ready for the mooncup (skip this link if you're a man.). I firmly believe that we should all do what we can to create a better world and then build on that. The important thing is to do something. When people do nothing, then nothing gets better.

That said, we can all put our trash in a trash can. Today, I saw some litter in a parking lot, so I put it in a trash can. Picking up litter does make the world a better place, but I must admit I'm annoyed that it had to be done because putting trash in a trash can in the first place seems like an easy thing to do. Why didn't the person who dropped it dispose of it properly to begin with?

Landfills are made to contain trash and its harmful effects, but parking lots and roadsides are not. Trash discarded carelessly as litter becomes more than just an eyesore; it becomes a harmful part of the ecosystem. It destroys water systems, suffocates wildlife, smothers plant growth, carries germs, attracts disease-carrying pests, etc...Plus, it's expensive to clean up. Litter has become such a problem that the Pacific Ocean is now home to what's known as "The Great Pacific Garbage Patch"-a swirling column of garbage twice the size of Texas that weighs appr. 3 million tons. An estimated 80% of this aquatic mess came from land-based sources, that is, our litter.
Everyone thinks that, if they drop just one water bottle in the parking lot or throw just one cigarette butt on the sidewalk, it's not a big deal. And, it's not as long as you are the only person discarding your trash in this way, and as long as it only happens once or even twice. But, what happens if all 6.8 billion people in the world all have that same train of thought and all drop a water bottle in a parking lot? "The Great Pacific Garbage Patch" is what happens.