Litter encroaches on our environment and tax dollars
Let's talk trash.
If there ever was a problem that's 100%, completely solvable, it's litter.
The news that Ohio taxpayers are spending $4 million a year on litter removal is disheartening and frustrating because it's unnecessary.
What could your neighborhood, your school system do with an extra $4 million?
Because, once again, everything is connected, litter ends up in our streams, which flow into our rivers and inevitably in our oceans.
Aside from the costs, litter puts at risk people tasked with cleaning streets and highways. According to statistics reported by the Ohio Department of Transportation, a record high of 6,574 work-zone crashes occurred in 2019. Most involved rear-end collisions.
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The crashes generated 1,121 injuries and 16 worker fatalities.
But too many people who litter either don't know these things, or they do know and don't care, leaving the problem to the rest of us.
Working in litter removal must must feel like the movie "Groundhog Day."
That they have to tackle the same trouble spots over and over is clear sign that we have to change a culture in which littering is met with ambivalence and a shrug.
Nothing makes less sense than drinking bottled water because it's good for you, then tossing the empty bottle onto the ground ― sometimes, right next to a trash receptacle.
We can begin to change the culture by teaching children at an early age about the effects of littering, and how not doing it is just one way they can help the planet.
It means pressuring manufacturers to come up with alternatives to single-use packaging. We know we live in an age where there are more fast-food choices than ever, along with more snacks, drinks and other convenience items. But we haven't effectively addressed how to deal with the trash generated.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that the average American produces about 5 pounds of trash every day, 20% of it being plastic. American families generate nearly 7,000 pound of trash.
We're a country that knows how to do big things. Americans are creative and innovative people. Surely we can come up with new ways to reduce our trash output.
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At the very least, the people making money off single-use products ought to be encouraging their consumers to be more responsible.
Changing the culture means incentivizing solutions. Somewhere, there's a 20-something working on a solution, and he or she needs to be encouraged and rewarded for it.
Adopt-A-Highway programs are helpful and impactful but it can't be incumbent upon volunteers to stem the tide.
Changing the culture means pushing local governments to make litter a higher priority.
With the possible exception of New York, no one wants to live or invest in a city infested with trash.
Stepping up our efforts means making it easier for residents not to litter by offering more public trash and recycling receptacles in places other than downtown ― and maintaining them.
Many of you have visited cities and communities in other parts of the world which are spotless. The World Forum reports that Japan recycles 77% of its plastics, compared to 20% by the U.S. and Europe.
How are they able to do it, and we can't?
Charita M. Goshay is a Canton Repository staff writer and member of the editorial board. Reach her at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com. On Twitter: @cgoshayREP
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Litter is the one problem we can solve.
