Lets Go Green | Teen Ink

Lets Go Green

December 3, 2010
By ILikeGreen BRONZE, Evanston, Wyoming
ILikeGreen BRONZE, Evanston, Wyoming
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

On a bright sunny day I had a nice little hunting experience. It started out with my dad and I having a nice little trip to the nice little forest (although it wasn’t very nice). By the afternoon we haven't gathered a single deer but we do have several pieces of trash that weren't ours. By the time we got home I was struck with horror because that day it looked like a dump truck came by and dumped all of the trash it could hold in the little forest area my dad and I hunted in. That was a whole lot of trash for such a little forest.

Another day When I was walking through the grand canyon with my family I witnessed the pure stupidity of either the laziness of the human being. As a man casually finishes his bottle of water after a hot day of hiking through he Grand Canyon he looks around for a trash can to put it in. He spots one and casually walks over to throw away his bottle. As he waked over to the overfilling trash can he missed a small detail, a can that was meant to recycle plastic bottles. He glances at the perfect little recycle bin and kept walking like he intends to destroy as much of the world as possible before he kicks the bucket. My question is why people do this. I give my opinion on a very serious subject. People should handle their trash products with more care.

First of all, litter affects us in many ways. Litter costs money, according to the E.E.P. (Environmental Education Program) people spend over $500,000 a year on litter just in the U.S.A. Litter also effects the environment. 38.6% of thrash that is cast away would end up in a waterway of some sort according to the E.P.A. (Environmental Protection Agency). Also according to the E.P.A. Litter attracts vermin of all sorts from rats to skunks that could be a health hazard to people and urban animals. Litter could also be a fire hazard, Accumulated litter and carelessly discarded cigarette butts are potential fire hazards. Litter attracts more litter. People think since there is already litter here adding more wouldn't hurt a bit. But it hurts more than anybody could imagine. Last of all litter kills wildlife. 28% of all animals die from pollution and litter. Littering is not helpful in any way so try not to do it.

I respect people that don't litter but when people have an opportunity to recycle but choose the trashcan over the recycle bin it gets it makes me want to vomit in disgust. It’s the fact only 24% of Americans recycle full time. That remaining percent either occasionally recycles or don’t even recycle at all. Did you know how hard it is to recycle? It only takes a little more energy to save up a few plastic bottles inside a small box then drive them down to the nearest recycle center. If you don’t have a recycle center nearby then find somebody that dose like to recycle and ask them if they could take your items out of town to a recycle center a few miles away.

So instead of littering hold onto your trash until you find a trash can, better yet if there is a recycle bin then recycle your item. It’s not hard to recycle even sometimes it could be rewarding. I live in a small town but we find time to preserve our environment. We have a small metal refinery and recycle center both. The rewarding part of Recycling is when we bring in our aluminum cans into our metal refinery we get money for certain amounts.

So next time you feel like throwing your trash on the ground or bypassing a recycle bin just think about how it would effect you later on in the future. So make me a promise and don’t litter and every chance you get recycle every object that you are able o recycle, and remember its not so little after you read this and feel the guilt the rest of your life knowing what happened after you throw that plastic bottle in that overflowing trash can.


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