Environmentalist Alyna Rei brings to our attention the harsh truth about littering. In this informative blog Alyna gives us insight into the big world of trash and how it affects the environment around us.  –  Editor Sienna Price

By Alyna Rei, Environmentalist

Littering is one of the many issues we have in the world that can easily be solved. The Coachella Valley is just one of the many cities in the world that is affected by littering. You don’t realize how much of an effect you have on the environment when you throw a cup out of the window, or if you drop food packaging on the ground. To decrease littering, we should educate the community as to how pervasive littering is and how it affects the planet. Here’s what I see when I drive to school in the morning.

What is littering? Why is it bad?

Littering is the improper disposing of products. Littering can happen intentionally or unintentionally, but both have environmental consequences (texasdisposal.com). 

The consequences can damage an animal’s life in their ecosystem. This can damage an animal’s ecosystems; when their shelter is full of trash it makes it harder for animals to settle in. On a more serious note, animals would mistake trash as food and digest the toxic material ending up killing some animals.  Littering can also cause water, soil, and air pollution. 

Often, litter is burned in open air and releases toxic gasses and matter into the atmosphere. Trash would usually be burned in a barrel. Some cities burn their trash since it’s the easiest way to get rid of trash. These toxins can enter people’s bodies and affect their health (health.ny.gov).

As littering increases, chemicals and other particles increase in the air. These chemicals aren’t healthy for the environment and can cause lots of problems. For example, one of the many particles of trash released into the ground would be cigarettes. Cigarettes have arsenic and formaldehyde that can make their way into the water and into soil. This would impact both humans and animals negatively (texasdisposal.com).

Why you should pick up your trash

The truth is, picking up trash is not everyone’s favorite thing to do. It’s not usually a favorite pastime for people. People are disgusted about picking up other people’s trash and have the thought that since it’s not their trash, it’s not their problem. That in itself is the problem; people believe that someone else will pick it up. Sure, you didn’t drop the litter, but it’s still your environment, shouldn’t you take care of it?

Here are some reasons why you should pick up your trash if you still need convincing:

• It will protect wildlife. Most animals can mistake trash as food or as shelter materials. In fact, most animals are victims of littering everyday. Usually, trash can get into waterways and into the ocean. Animals can die from consuming trash that ends up in their ecosystem (https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/litter).

• It reduces the cost of cleanup. The United States spends a lot of money on just litter cleanup. We can reduce the costs by just picking up pieces of trash every day. Walk across the courtyard, and pick up trash.

• Less spread of germs. Litter can contain many germs by just being on the street. With this, kids can pick these pieces up and then put their hands in their mouths. This would be a huge safety hazard for everyone. 

• By picking up litter, you are showing pride in your community. You’re showing that you care about your environment and the Earth. 

Our school campus has been known to have pieces of trash lying around, and I always see teachers and staff picking up after students. This wouldn’t be a problem if students took the initiative to throw away their trash. Picking up litter can show that you care about the environment and the community. So, pick up your trash!!