Littering
 

Anyone have views on this? I always want to say something to anyone I see dropping litter in the street, but I'm always afraid I'll get my head punched in, which I probably would, so I say nothing. But it boils me up that people can't be bothered to dispose of their refuse in a socially responsible manner, ie not just throw it on the ground. I watch people regularly drop trash when they are literally yards from a bin. I've seen a girl (youngish, but not a kid) in town throw a nearly full bottle of water I guess across the far side of the street and nearly skull someone. I've seen another girl at the bus stop decide she has had enough of what she's been drinking and fire the bottle out onto the road. I don't mean just drop it, she flung it with strength. It could easily have hit a car, or someone passing or crossing the road.

What is wrong with people? If lateness is a discourtesy to others, then surely being a litterbug is the ultimate contempt for the planet and for your fellow humans? Would you drop litter at home? Well maybe you do, but I bet you pick it up later: nobody wants to live in a pigsty. But the streets seem to be fair game.

I was brought up to make sure I put litter in the bin (that's what it's for) and if I can't find a bin I'll usually stick whatever it is in my pocket or bag till I do find one, or even take it home and put it in my own bin. The casual arrogance of people just dropping half-eaten burgers, wrappers, bottles, cans etc on the street just because they could not be bothered to find a bin disgusts me.

By the way, I don't include cigarette butts or chewing gum in this tirade. I don't expect anyone to keep their cigarette end in their hand or put it in their pocket until they find a bin, and I guess it's the same with gum, which is basically a temporary product, ie you spit it out eventually. I'm not mad about it being on the ground but it doesn't bother me, or look as unsightly to me, as piles of refuse dropped there by uncaring, ignorant people.

Thoughts?

Littering is bad. /thread

Not meant to be taken as a defense of littering, as it certainly is poor behavior, but surely referring to littering as the "ultimate contempt for the planet and your fellow humans" is an exaggeration. It would be laughable to compare the impact of tossing a bottle into the street to burning down massive rain forest habitats in the name of industry, or any of the other far more significant environmental sins of Corporation X or Y. Correcting some dick's litter by picking it up and throwing it into a nearby trash bin is an undeserved burden, but it is still an easy task, and plenty of people do pick up after others without a second thought. That's not to say we should all litter because somebody else will deal with it, but I'm hardly losing sleep over somebody tossing their McDonald's cheeseburger wrapper out their window, I'm not going to demand they be thrown in the slammer over it, at the most I'll call them a cocksucker and throw it in the trash myself.

Louis CK said it best when he said that littering in New York City is not a crime against nature because nature left New York City a long time ago. Excluding Central Park of course.

Ja I'm with Epoch. It's bad but I'm pretty apathetic about the whole situation.

I only hold contempt for people disposing of trash in Nature preserves and places where I hike. Cities are virtual ****holes for the most part, but people should still dispose of trash where its designated. Street sweepers were invented for a reason.

I find it equally irritating, particularly when people litter in the ONE PARK in my town that actually has a proper forest--small though it may be-- and trails. (I've been going there since I was a child, so I become infuriated when people leave piles of trash in my favorite clearing or spray paint one of my favorite trees) Or when they leave beer bottles in creeks and rivers, or anything which could possibly be dangerous for all the little critters and duck families. I never manage to catch those who do it-- and the litter is often in places which seem impossible to get to (heavier things that can't be blown by the wind even), so perhaps there's some litterbug cryptids out there.

However, many people are simply considerate regardless of where they are. I do always pick up what I what I see, though (seeing as it takes very little effort to do so.), while trying my best not to mutter and grumble about it. I have been accused of being the Fern Gully of suburbia. (Once I mistakenly thought that they had torn down the trees around my favorite clearing-- they were doing construction nearby, and I couldn't quite see what exactly-- and I had a brief crying fit about it.)
I notice that many people who litter everywhere constantly also tend to do similar things to their indoor environments-- and it all seems to come back to being generally inconsiderate and seeing every place as an extension of their bubble of squalor.

Of course, oftentimes it's children and teenagers doing the littering-- and every time, their parents don't seem to bat an eye or tell them otherwise, so I suppose many continue doing it out of habit even when there is a trash can a mere five feet away.

I don't throw garbage willy nilly, but cigarette butts were meant to be casually tossed wherever.

Probably a bit hyperbolic yes, but it really pisses me off.
yeah, I already said I didn't include cigarette butts.

I wasn't about to read all that ****.