‘Littering is my biggest pet peeve’

A Redditor who wanted to enjoy nature with their furry friend was frustrated when they came across litter, vandalism, and graffiti at a beautiful waterside enclave.

They shared half a dozen photos of a park that was besmirched by discarded food packaging, clothes, spray paint, and more. All but one of the shots showed boardwalks that would have provided idyllic settings if it weren't for all the trash.

“Went for a calming walk with the pup,” they wrote. “Got mildly infuriated instead.”

One user responded: “Littering is my biggest pet peeve. It is getting worse IMO.”

“That's not casual trail litter, that's probably from people living in an encampment,” another person speculated, though another shared an experience where they saw people drive to a park and get out of their car with spray paint. 

“I called the park ranger,” they said. ” … I hope they got dealt with.”

Ultimately, there are many ways people can decrease their consumption of plastic, but littering is a different issue altogether. 

Litter near waterways is especially problematic. As much as 80% of our marine trash finds its way to the ocean via streams and rivers, according to Clean Water Action. This kills seabirds, dolphins, turtles, and other creatures that mistake plastic bags and other debris for food. In addition to ingestion, these animals can get entangled in garbage, especially fishing gear, and suffer death by starvation, drowning, and other horrific ways to go.

Fish and crustaceans that are part of the human food chain can also pass on pollutants they absorb to us, as plastic is a carrier of organic toxins, chemicals, and other contaminants we seemingly cannot escape.

To help stop the littering epidemic or mitigate its effects, you can share a kind word with strangers on a trail. Talk to your family and friends about your values, and take action by participating in local cleanup days or even starting your own — all you need to do is pick up a few pieces of trash to make an impact.

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