Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it isn’t a problem
As winter fast approaches, bringing with it cold and snowy days, an annual problem is concealed. Every day, many careless citizens toss their garbage on the curb without a second thought. However, in the winter, the litter accumulates and is hidden beneath the blankets of snow, only to thaw in the spring, exposing the hideous habits of humans.
We already know that littering is bad for the environment, but how exactly? Not only is it an eyesore, it’s also harmful to wildlife, can contaminate drinking water, breeds bacteria, and costs the government millions of dollars to clean up. According to the Litter Reduction Task Force (LRTF), disposable diapers, plastic bags, and styrofoam can respectively take from 550,100 to 1,000,000 years to biodegrade naturally.
The LRTF reports that the average Canadian walks only 12 steps in search of garbage or recycling bins before giving up and tossing their trash on the curb.Furthermore, many pieces of garbage are mistakenly tossed into recycling bins. Many residents are oblivious to their local waste sorting rules. Used paper towels, gourmet coffee pods, and resealable bags are among some of the items that are incorrectly disposed of in recycling bins. Wrongfully placed items hold up the line at the recycling plant and often must be manually sorted by workers, thereby increasing costs.
Need another reason to quit smoking? It’s no surprise that cigarette butts are the most commonly discarded piece of waste worldwide, according to Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights. The LRTF states that the majority of the 8,000 tonnes of cigarette butts that are dropped by Canadians every year are within 10 feet of an ashtray. Cigarette filters take up to 10 years to degrade and pose a serious toxic hazard to birds, marine life, and other animals. Not to mention that cigarette butts are the source of ignition in more than 20 per cent of deaths caused by fire in the United States, as reported by the National Fire Prevention Association.
So what can you do to decrease your impact on the environment? Prioritize reducing over recycling. The 3 R’s are actually ordered by degree of importance: reduce, reuse, recycle. Ditch single-use items such as coffee cups and plastic bags. Not only is it environmentally friendly, it’s economical. Bringing a reusable mug to your favourite coffee shop can save you 10 cents per drink and reusable bags will spare you the five cent charge per plastic bag, which can really add up. There are also plastic bag take-back programs, often available at big box retailers such as Wal-Mart. Take a moment to look up information about your local municipality’s trash sorting rules to help streamline efficiency. Participate in trash clean-ups in your community this spring and continue to be environmentally-friendly all year long. Don’t be a litterbug and help put trash in its place.
Photo by Mariah Bridgeman.