People please!

  

Lovely   isn’t it? 

I have spent the past two weeks really looking at the litter, trash and out of place objects inside the city limits of Manhattan and also in and around several “off the beaten path” places along Tuttle Creek and let me tell you, there are some strange things out there lying around.  It definately wasn’t a hard task.  It seemed as if every other step I took I came across some type of trash.  With my eager canine friend leading the way I not only want to see how much and what types of things are common both inside an outside city limits but also search out the potential risks and negative affects these types have on plants and wildlife as well.  I’ll add here, that although I’ve had a life-long disdain of litter this particular on-foot research has definately fuled my flame to a  roaring, flaming  furnace of disgust and anger.   You just won’t believe what all is out there.   You can literally just pick a road, any road, whether it’s a main street, side street, highway, or remote country road and just start walking and look down.  Much is hidden from view if one if whizzing by in a car, but walk any ditch and another world of weathered plastics, aluminum, styrofoam (I hate styrofoam!) and cigarette butts emerge.

                                  

Cigarette butts, plastic, (hard plastic & plastic bags) beer cans and bottles are the most common both inside and outside city limits.  You’ll find these everywhere and anywhere you look.  

Another ‘tradition’, now that I think about it, my parents imprinted was that you always left where you’ve been, outdoors, cleaner than you found it.  Leave with at least one full bag of trash, period.  Litter bag stashes in the glove comaprtment, backpack, and back hip pocket is just habit for this family at this point.  So, please know that all the litter I have photographed has been removed with the exception of the ruster bedsprings and other debris down a rocky ravine that I decided not to attempt alone. However, I would like to organize a small volunteer clean-up group to hit that area some Saturday.  I think it would only take maybe one other truck other than mine and a little muscle.  I’m hoping a well thought out ‘pitch’ to my residential waste service company might render recycling and other disposal of these bulk items with no charge.  Ok I know, but I did say might so please allow me my moment of  it could happen-ness.  Plan B is a hopeful a price reduction for the “green” cause.  I also have two tires in my shed now that I have no idea where those are accepted at and/or  reused of properly.  We’ll see how it goes but I am determined to get that stuff out of that ravine.  I don’t know how well you can see those rusted bedsprings but they, and all the other spoiling and despoiling hunks of junk that some people seemed compelled to dump in this gorgeous ravine, has to go!

It’s not just about the disgust of trash and ‘other’ types of waste on the surface of our home. For me, it’s also thinking about the break down of materials, chemicals, and biological substances seeping into the soil and the critters, microscopic on up, that will feed and browse among this foreign debris that has always distressed me.  Logic screams that this just can’t be good.

The pictures below show my canine friend (Taggert) ready to enjoy a small park here in town.  You’ll notice something white to the left of Tag there on the ground…next picture gives you a better look-see. 

             

Yep it’s exactly what you think it is.  So now you see why I had to name this…People please!

The Wasting of our Planet

Waste, litter, floating trash anything that’s human produced or manufactured that’s, dropped, thrown or has escaped from any type of vessel is one of my gnawing pet-peeves.  It baffles me that it’s such a problem. To not litter doesn’t take any extra energy nor is it an inconvenience to us humans at all.  Of course, this is just my opinion.  Isn’t it really just a matter of don’t. Just do not litter.  How does something so easy become so difficult for us?

My aversion to the practice of littering started early in my life.  Vivid is the memory of my mother driving our car down the highway towards home with me and my sister on the backseat .  My sister rolls down the car window and throws her gum wrapper out the window.  Uh-oh not a good idea sis because mom slammed on the brakes throwing us all forward in our seats, (these were the days before seatbelt use) yanked the car over to the shoulder of the highway and proceeded to order my sister out of the car and told her to go find the very gum wrapper she just threw out the window.  I, being elated that my sister pulled this dumb move before I did, duly noted that one does not want to ever  litter in the presence my mother!  I am proud to say that I was able to pass on this life lesson to my son, except that I did back up the car a bit for him and accompanied him along the highway as traffic is much different now, but I do believe, yes I do that  a tradition has been born.

I’m sure most would agree that aesthetically speaking litter is beyond unpleasant so we’ll just take that as a given negative factor.  Although I fret and fume every time I see trash and litter thrown about willy-nilly my concern lies for the problems and perils it creates for wildlife, plants and fishes.  The effects are direct and indirect impacts that are beyond the control of these organisms and I find that a criminal action not to mention total selfishness.  Ok so you get the gist that I really detest this action.  Brace yourselves though because I will continue to exercise my freedom of speech and, just as important, my right to personal opinion and thinking throughout this blog.