Litterbugs

I was driving to work today and noticed a driver just roll down their window and throw their trash out. This dude decided to clean out his car by dumping all his trash into the streets. What comes over you while driving that you feel so compelled to just toss crap out of your car window and carelessly litter your shit? I don’t get it. I have seen other people open their car door, put down an empty soda bottle, and then just drive over it as they pull out of their parking spot. Is that really necessary? You see people throw things in the direction of a garbage can and not give two shits or not if it actually makes it in. Or how about those lovely people who spit out their Winterfresh gum and you get lucky and step in that blue sticky shit, fun times right?

Why do People Think the Earth is Their Personal Trash Can?

I’m not perfect but choosing to not litter is a no-brainer for me. It’s just that I have to live on this planet and would appreciate if more people had the common courtesy of keeping it clean. I understand that there will always be some litter but when I see people just carelessly discard their garbage anywhere they fucking please, it really grinds my gears. You know all that litter that you see along the freeways? It didn’t just get out there by itself. Motorists are responsible for 53% of all litter that is generated annually. That’s insane. That includes all those cigarette butts that people just toss out their windows. The most globally littered item is cigarette butts. Food wrappers and aluminum cans are a close second. I love animals, plants, the beach, and the Earth in general which is why it bothers me so much to see people litter without a fucking care in the world.

Raynita’s Opinion The Litter Situation Abroad

From the few other countries I have been to, I was shocked to see that there wasn’t a horrible littering problem like we have here in America. What’s the difference? Is it that people in other countries don’t litter as much? Or is it that those countries just clean up better? I have noticed a few things that may be the reason you see less trash on the streets of other countries.

People who are eating and socializing fill the streets of London. However, trash cans and cigarette butt stands can easily be found. People just seemed more responsible and caring when it came to their trash and carbon footprint. They didn’t think twice about throwing their trash in the appropriate spot and did it naturally. I even saw someone pick up a piece of blowing litter off the street and throw it in a trash can. You can often find workers picking up trash and emptying the full trash cans. Maybe this is why the city doesn’t seem filled with litter to us Americans. They are taking care of the problem by hiring a crew that tends to the trash problem. London is beautiful and free of trashy streets, thanks to the caring people of London.

Littering is Not The Same All Over the World

Italy had the same idea as London when it comes to littering. Even with the dense population in Rome, Venice, and Florence all of these cities are kept surprisingly clean. The streets are tiny in some of these areas, so you don’t see as many trash cans as other cities like London. Yet, the roads aren’t filled with liter. Consequently, Rome is constantly filled with tourists so litter is not completely non-existent but it is well managed. Again, trash cans and cigarette stands were provided and used. I learned that fines for littering, even cigarette butts, where high and stiff. This tells me that the city takes littering very seriously.

Litter Wrap-up!

To think its no big deal to litter is very selfish and small minded. If you have this mindset, please change it. What these habitual litterbugs fail to realize and think about is that all that litter has to end up SOMEWHERE. You know where that somewhere is? It’s in our oceans where it kills marine life, it ends up in parks where children play, and it ends up in the streets of your neighborhood and a million other places where it shouldn’t belong. Litter is not only an ugly thing to do but it makes the world we live in ugly. 

Please don’t be a trashy person. Clean is sexy!

Do litterbugs piss you off too?!