One of the unfortunate, but required, duties that I have at work as a horticulturist is picking up trash. It's one of those things you have to do, no matter how much you dislike it. Some inconsiderate or lazy person is going to throw their trash into the landscape, failing to see the black trash can 25 feet in front of them. Either that, or some trash that did not make it into the bin elsewhere found its way into the landscape by way of the wind or water runoff.
For the most part, however, it is people throwing their garbage where it does not belong. Despite what has been taught in school, and the ads we used to see growing up on TV, so many people just throw their trash into the landscape. What particularly interests me is the trash that gets deliberately stuck between fencing as if the person knew they shouldn't throw it on the ground, but instead of holding it a few extra seconds until they reached the trash can, they took the time and effort to stick it into the fence. Another problem I find is when trash ends up in the recycling bins or vice versa. Recycling is usually in blue cans, trash is put in black cans. What is so difficult about that?
One blog that I follow about gardening and good earth practices, described a book that was written that describes what happens to our trash. It sounds like a very intriguing read, as I have seen in documentaries how far our wayward trash goes. The author of the 66 square feet blog also is concerned with all the trash that needlessly ends up in landscapes, natural or formal. She noticed an abundance of dirty detritus in Brooklyn's Prospect Park, particularly in the woods. Noticing it never went away, she took matters into her own hands and organized a volunteer to crew to help clean up the mess. She documents their efforts here. We can all take a cue from her. Maybe you don't have time or the stomach to help organize a volunteer trash crew, but you can pick up that piece of paper or bottle in front of you on the ground and dispense of it properly.
I know trash is gross. We all find ourselves in situations where we have some disgusting piece of garbage in our hands and we want to get rid of it immediately. I know it's easy to just throw it to the side if we don't see a trash can less than ten feet in front of us. This is not something we should do, however. It detracts from the beauty of the environment, and a lot of types of trash can actually harm the plant and animal life around it. Everyone says they want to help the environment, well the first way you can help is to throw your trash away in the proper receptacle. This kind of pollution can't continue if we actually take the extra effort to throw away our waste properly. It starts with you and I.
For the most part, however, it is people throwing their garbage where it does not belong. Despite what has been taught in school, and the ads we used to see growing up on TV, so many people just throw their trash into the landscape. What particularly interests me is the trash that gets deliberately stuck between fencing as if the person knew they shouldn't throw it on the ground, but instead of holding it a few extra seconds until they reached the trash can, they took the time and effort to stick it into the fence. Another problem I find is when trash ends up in the recycling bins or vice versa. Recycling is usually in blue cans, trash is put in black cans. What is so difficult about that?
One blog that I follow about gardening and good earth practices, described a book that was written that describes what happens to our trash. It sounds like a very intriguing read, as I have seen in documentaries how far our wayward trash goes. The author of the 66 square feet blog also is concerned with all the trash that needlessly ends up in landscapes, natural or formal. She noticed an abundance of dirty detritus in Brooklyn's Prospect Park, particularly in the woods. Noticing it never went away, she took matters into her own hands and organized a volunteer to crew to help clean up the mess. She documents their efforts here. We can all take a cue from her. Maybe you don't have time or the stomach to help organize a volunteer trash crew, but you can pick up that piece of paper or bottle in front of you on the ground and dispense of it properly.
I know trash is gross. We all find ourselves in situations where we have some disgusting piece of garbage in our hands and we want to get rid of it immediately. I know it's easy to just throw it to the side if we don't see a trash can less than ten feet in front of us. This is not something we should do, however. It detracts from the beauty of the environment, and a lot of types of trash can actually harm the plant and animal life around it. Everyone says they want to help the environment, well the first way you can help is to throw your trash away in the proper receptacle. This kind of pollution can't continue if we actually take the extra effort to throw away our waste properly. It starts with you and I.
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