The Litter-Bug
Are you a litter-bug?
Born of ignorance and sloth, the litter-bug is defined by his fearless use of the world as an ashtray. Everything from the loving embrace of the cigarette to the comforting grasp of the fast food takeout bag effortlessly make their way into the open world by his hand.
Give me back my money!
Americans spent about 11 billion dollars cleaning up litter in 2009. That’s more than we spent on the National Parks Service, U.S. Coast Guard, and FBI combined.
Think about the birds.
Road-side litter attracts small rodents such as mice and rats, who in turn attract predators like owls and hawks. Many birds of prey are becoming dangerously rare, in no small part due to the careless passers-by tossing litter from their cars.
Plastic sticks around.
Litter often ends up in waterways and tributaries that eventually empty into the oceans. Plastic makes up about 90% of the trash floating in the ocean. This sea-bound debris kills about 1,000,000 sea birds every year, and nearly 100,000 marine mammals. The really bad part? There’s nothing we can do about it. Even if we stopped littering today, every last molecule of plastic manufactured since the 1950’s would continue to menace our oceans for centuries to come.
I totally hate it when people litter. This is my numero uno pet peeve. Suck it, litter-bugs!
I agree. Littering is soooooo ignorant, and it makes me angry. Someone should send a memo to everyone who smokes to remind them that cigarette butts are, indeed, trash, and they don’t belong on the ground, or on the road, or anywhere for that matter.