It’s not ok to suggest that we don’t care about our environment, by littering, we are royally screwing up.
Litter can secretly destroy our health. Plastics and other garbage pieces contain highly toxic chemicals, pesticides, and dioxins. If waste sits in water it spoils the quality and the contaminated water evaporates, so whatever was in the trash is now in the air that we breathe. Also, it attracts bacteria and viruses which lead to vermin, and the germs can be passed on to animals that eat it. The most common and most dangerous littered items are Cigarette butts; by looking closely, you can count at least 20 within about 5 feet in downtown areas and they contain chemicals that seep into the air. When you breathe in, you may be ingesting cigarette chemicals, so they are harmful, even if you don’t smoke.
Not only is litter toxic, but also dangerous and bad for tourism. Sidewalks and streets lined with garbage is not a good look for us. I was walking around Toronto on a day trip and the streets and subways are so gross, but, they are not only eyesores, there’s a stench radiating from the garbage. Litter negatively affects the image of places which results in affected tourism industries. But besides the looks, litter is also dangerous causing accidents on roads, damaging surroundings when thrown out of vehicles, and even causing fires. Litter is not friendly;
And it’s not eco-friendly either. Nearly all trash ends up in the ocean. In fact, 9 billion tons of litter are dumped there every year, and a 2014 study estimates that there are 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic debris in the ocean. All the waste gathers into ‘trash islands’ like the familiar Great Pacific garbage patch, but scientists have confirmed that there are actually 4 more just like it. I wouldn’t want to live there and neither do the marine animals. It’s so bad that one million birds and 100 thousand sea animals are killed yearly as a result of being trapped in or eating this litter. Items like plastic bags can be mistaken for food.
This issue can be controlled and it should. It’s really simple and you can literally make the world a better place. So, just stop littering, and if you see some litter in the wrong place, do the right thing and pick it up. The world will thank you.
