Sight Unseen



Trash on the beach.

I visited Galveston island in Texas one time.  It was the second time I had seen the ocean, the first was in Hawaii.   In Hawaii the beaches are beautiful, trash is uncommon, or was when I was there in 1985.  However, Galveston was filthy.  Early in the morning, just before sun rise, a big machine moves across the sandy beach to pick up all the trash left by visitors from the day before, or picks up the trash that washed up on the beach overnight.  Things like dirty diapers, snack wrappers, empty bottles, plastic bags, containers and even glass.  I had actually gone out to watch the sunrise over the ocean and became sickened at the sight of all the trash.  I had also found some shiny black, what appeared to be rocks, and asked someone nearby what it could be.  They replied it was oil, from the spill.  It hardens over time and then washes up on the beach.  



DANGER to Wildlife

Putting trash where it doesn't belong is not only esthetically displeasing but also poses a great danger to wildlife.  Even biodegradable items which you toss from you car window can have dire consequences to wildlife.  For instance, birds and other small animals will attempt to eat the food, and if not hit by traffic then larger predators may attempt to eat the small animals and in the process get hit by traffic.  Therefore, even biodegradable items should not be thrown from your car.  Animals attempting to satisfy their hunger can be killed.

 



There have been many cases where helium balloons which have been released for celebrations, or accidentally, have gone into the ocean only to become lodged in the digestive systems of marine animals.  Not all balloons pop so in the ocean they resemble jellyfish, a common food source for many marine animals.  In addition, the strings which birds use to build their nests can pose a threat to baby birds as their wings and legs become entangled.  The thought that trash could have cruel and debilitating consequences for wildlife should be enough to make a person think before they toss.  The pictures below, although disturbing, are not the most gruesome.  Instead, they are a prime example of what can happen when trash ends up were it doesn't belong.

A Mallard Duck entangled in plastic.

A Razorbill entangled in balloon with string attached.

A Water turtle entangled in plastic.

A Hedgehog with its head stuck in a carrot can.

Beauty and the Beast

Is this beautiful to you?  Can you imagine this picture without the trash?  Me too, so lets put it where it belongs; in a trash can!  Leave the roadsides litter free!

Why do people litter?

This is the question I wonder often.  Luckily, the Keep America Beautiful organization conducted studies to answer this question.  They discovered that people litter intentionally.  "Littering is a personal choice that can stem from a lack of personal responsibility for one’s actions and surroundings; litterers may also have a sense of entitlement—a feeling that other people should clean up after them."

They say the majority of the reason people litter is because of their attitude.  If we can change attitudes we can change littering. 

For more statistics and details on why people litter, please visit:
http://www.kab.org/site/DocServer/Executive_Summary_-_FINAL.pdf?docID=4601