PPE Litter

[Chesterton]

I've noticed a lot of masks and gloves laying around on the ground in public. Then I heard a guy in England who's noticed the same thing there. Anyone else here seeing this where you are?

My only hypothesis is that maybe people are out and about, and just in case they might have the Chinese cooties on their gear, would rather toss it out the car window than bring it into their home. I dunno.

 

[public hermit]

Maybe we need another Italian-American dressed as a Native-American shedding a tear to remind us of the shame associated with littering?

 

[Noxot]

I think part of the problem is that it is natural for us to throw the waste of an apple or a banana peel on the ground because it's going to rot and return to the Earth. Unconsciously we toss trash on the ground because a little bit of trash is not a problem. Now in the modern world some things just don't rot very fast. I found one of them there masks in my backyard

I try not to become mad when someone on the streets tosses a plastic cup. If it was his own yard he would have not polluted it. but the people that tick me off the most are those guys that drive by my house and throw glass beer bottles at the driveway.

 

[Chesterton]

I just stumbled upon this today. Weird.

Face Masks, Other COVID-19 Waste Polluting the Ocean | The Weather Channel

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Those crazy humans. (They don't put their shopping carts away properly either.)

 

[durangodawood]

What would Jesus do? And why?

 

[OldWiseGuy]

I try not to become mad when someone on the streets tosses a plastic cup. If it was his own yard he would have not polluted it.

Not always true. The people in the apartment building across the street from mine littered their yard to the point that they were reported* to the city. Only after the owner received a citation was the mess cleaned up.

*I reported the mess and was told it already had been reported by others, and a citation issued.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

What would Jesus do? And why?

Jesus would put his shopping cart away neatly, because he wouldn't make extra work for the one who has to return them to the store several times each day. Jesus would realize that we have better things to do than clean up the thoughtless messes made by others.

 

[durangodawood]

Not always true. The people in the apartment building across the street from mine littered their yard to the point that they were reported* to the city. Only after the owner received a citation was the mess cleaned up.

*I reported the mess and was told it already had been reported by others, and a citation issued.

And many rural American yards are a complete **** show like Ive rarely seen in Europe or Japan.

I wonder if Americans largely are infected with some notion that they will be the last generation of humans to walk the earth, and so nothing they leave behind matters.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

And many rural American yards are a complete **** show like Ive rarely seen in Europe or Japan.

I wonder if Americans largely are infected with some notion that they will be the last generation of humans to walk the earth, and so nothing they leave behind matters.

Worse are the hoarders. I have dealt with several in the past and have several active hoarders in the building that I manage. One woman got so bad that she was saving used sanitary napkins. I had pleaded with the owners for several years to get her out. It was only when her apartment became a breeding ground for cockroaches that they evicted her (I had warned them about this as well).

 

[durangodawood]

Worse are the hoarders. I have dealt with several in the past and have several active hoarders in the building that I manage. One woman got so bad that she was saving using sanitary napkins. I had pleaded with the owners for several years to get her out. It was only when her apartment became a breeding ground for cockroaches that they evicted her (I had warned them about this as well).

Yeah, they are worse. But that can cross a line into mental illness. We can more freely critique the crappy values of healthy slobs who dont care to think about others or the wider world that will continue after theyre gone.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

And many rural American yards are a complete **** show like Ive rarely seen in Europe or Japan.

I wonder if Americans largely are infected with some notion that they will be the last generation of humans to walk the earth, and so nothing they leave behind matters.

What is just a bad is the attitude that "I didn't throw it there, I ain't picking it up." People would rather ignore it than do something about.

Some years ago I began hunting in one of our State forests and was appalled by the amount of litter along the roads, and in the forest itself. The age of some of beverage cans indicated that the litter likely had never been picked up (steel cans and outdated brands, etc.)

Over a period of three seasons I picked up a mountain of trash from the miles of forest roads and logging roads, as well as litter left in the woods by hunters. I also cleaned up several 'dump sites', that contained everything from bedsprings to drywall, shingles, paint cans, many tires; even a large stuffed chair and a rear-end jack.

What happened (or didn't happen) next was surprising. The level of new litter declined to almost nothing. I haven't had to pick up any litter since (it's been many years now) although there are some areas that need attention once more. Perhaps people are reluctant to 'be the first' to spoil the roadside with litter.

 

[Lost4words]

I usually leave my owner to pick up my waste!

 

[OldWiseGuy]

I usually leave my owner to pick up my waste!

Hmmm. A talking dog. Interesting.

 

[Broken Fence]

Yea litter is bad here as well. Has been for along time. Since police said open beer can get ya 500 dollar fine. Now up done the road beer cans and bottles cause people don't wanna pay fine.

Are you sure there is not a dumb down drug in the water. The older I get seems like the people are reverting back to childhood. Have you ever seen so many over grown adolescents as you do now?

 

[durangodawood]

What is just a bad is the attitude that "I didn't throw it there, I ain't picking it up." People would rather ignore it than do something about.

Some years ago I began hunting in one of our State forests and was appalled by the amount of litter along the roads, and in the forest itself. The age of some of beverage cans indicated that the litter likely had never been picked up (steel cans and outdated brands, etc.)

Over a period of three seasons I picked up a mountain of trash from the miles of forest roads and logging roads, as well as litter left in the woods by hunters. I also cleaned up several 'dump sites', that contained everything from bedsprings to drywall, shingles, paint cans, many tires; even a large stuffed chair and a rear-end jack.

What happened (or didn't happen) next was surprising. The level of new litter declined to almost nothing. I haven't had to pick up any litter since (it's been many years now) although there are some areas that need attention once more. Perhaps people are reluctant to 'be the first' to spoil the roadside with litter.

I do think roadside litter was actually worse 30 or 40 years ago. Since then many people have been slowly adopting some basic environmental values.

 

[durangodawood]

I do think roadside litter was actually worse 30 or 40 years ago. Since then many people have been slowly adopting some basic environmental values.

Yeah I mentioned Japan as cleaner than the USA... but I was still a bit shocked at seeing roadside litter in the countryside or mountains, and made a practice of picking some up each day as I bike toured. It was more symbolic than anything.

 

[Lost4words]

Hmmm. A talking dog. Interesting.

And i can type too!

 

[OldWiseGuy]

And i can type too!

That's...creepy too.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Yeah I mentioned Japan as cleaner than the USA... but I was still a bit shocked at seeing roadside litter in the countryside or mountains, and made a practice of picking some up each day as I bike toured. It was more symbolic than anything.

There's a lady that has been picking up litter around the neighborhood for many years (30 that I know of) so you won't find even a scrap. It an obsessive-compulsive disorder but it keeps the place looking good.