Trash is an interesting phenomena. Archeologists uncovering the lost histories of ancient civilizations are doing little more than digging through the trash of our ancestors, no disrespect meant. If one thing binds all humans, it is that we consume and leave behind what we can't. Even the famed Native Americans who allegedly used every part of an animal still left behind structures and tools that we can now discover, particularly in my area of upstate New York, a hot-bed for Native American activity in the past.
The other weekend, I went to a concert with Anthony Karge (check out his actively-updated blog here) in New York City. I had a phenomenal time, but like most of my trips to New York City, my attention was drawn to the city's problems more than the parts that tourists are so entranced by (this may be because I've been to NYC more times than I can count and rarely travel the tourist's path). On this particular trip, I couldn't help but notice the obscene amount of trash that was found on every street. I think it must have been garbage day because Anthony and I walked past small mountains of black trash bags on every block.
While recognizing the tremendous environmental impact that this type of trash has, trash on the street annoys me far more. I do not understand the mentality behind littering. I don't litter, period. If I have trash, dirty tissues or gum wrappers or empty plastic bottles, I simply hold on to them until I have an appropriate receptacle to place them in. Other people, a substantial portion of the population apparently, do not follow this general rule that I live by. Across the streets of New York, tangled in temporary orange fencing, drowning in puddles, was trash. Plastic soda bottle wrappers, packaging, bottle caps, cigarette butts - trash, trash, trash, all over the streets. The worst part was, in some cases, many of the public garbage cans were overflowing. People wanting to dispose of their garbage properly were forced to try to tuck it precariously into heaps of garbage, hoping that a sudden gust of wind didn't send it flying into the street.
The worst part was the train ride home from New York City to Poughkeepsie, NY. I decided, both rides, to sit on the side that doesn't look out on the water, which is a beautiful view. Instead, I took breaks from my school books to look out the window at all of the litter that forms the bulk of that view. There was one stretch of woods just littered with tires. Hundreds of tires. For an area that freaks out over West Nile Virus, as the downstate area has in recent years, you think they'd be a little more conscious of facilitating mosquito breeding by allowing this mess to continue sitting there. I saw one business in one of the nameless small towns along the ride that seemed to be dumping huge piles of metal and other garbage behind their property without any consideration for appropriate long-term disposal. The garbage was just errantly tossed into the environment, out of their sight, into mine.
Trash isn't something that we can get rid of. It's a part of humanity and particularly, American consumer culture. I don't care if you generate trash - I know I do, though I have tried to cut back on just how much waste I am responsible for. But please, please, please - don't litter. There's no good explanation for doing it other than you're just a shithead. There's no defensible position on littering other than being an ignorant, inconsiderate cunt.
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