Author Topic: Litter  (Read 4277 times)

Luke Warm

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Litter
« on: January 18, 2021, 06:36:30 AM »
What is the litter situation where you live? Here in NW Florida it's awful. I can't believe the amount of shit on the side of the road. I live in town and there is the occasional cigarette package or fast food bag on our street. When I'm out in the rural areas it's 10 times worse. Don't people have garbage cans at their house? People are pigs. Is it just a southern thing? I've been to Oregon and California and I was surprised by how clean the roadways were. Texas and Tennessee were as bad as Florida.

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Re: Litter
« Reply #1 on: January 18, 2021, 07:14:10 AM »
Here in the suburbs of Charlotte on the south carolina side of the border it's not the worst that I have seen, but it sure isn't the best.  It's probably worse than I think it is because the woods and weeds hide a lot of it.

Having moved here a year ago from Orange County California, I would say it's a bit worse here...but not by much. 

It is frustrating....

Just Joe

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Re: Litter
« Reply #2 on: January 18, 2021, 09:25:50 AM »
In my part of the south it seems to get worse as the population density goes up or quantity of traffic goes up so feeder roads.

Maybe that means people are throwing things out of their car windows?

The one person I corrected told me littering doesn't matter and everyone does it. Wrong on both accounts.

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Re: Litter
« Reply #3 on: January 18, 2021, 09:29:10 AM »
Here in the suburbs of Charlotte on the south carolina side of the border it's not the worst that I have seen, but it sure isn't the best.  It's probably worse than I think it is because the woods and weeds hide a lot of it.

Having moved here a year ago from Orange County California, I would say it's a bit worse here...but not by much. 

It is frustrating....

I'll echo this, rural areas like where I'm at have more litter than you'd think because of the more grown up sides of the road. I have some to mow near the road. I don't mow it very often, so it gets fairly high. I often have my kids bring out a grocery bag each and give them a quarter or something when they fill it up with trash - usually, multiple bags get filled. I can't understand ever throwing out litter like what I see - who thinks it's OK to throw out plastic and glass bottles, wrappers, etc.? Didn't anyone teach these people better?

Just Joe

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Re: Litter
« Reply #4 on: January 18, 2021, 11:04:43 AM »
Maybe they are thumbing their nose at the world in their own small way.

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Re: Litter
« Reply #5 on: January 18, 2021, 11:20:46 AM »
My small city regularly wins awards for cleanest in it's size category and organizes a spring clean-up event every year.  It's rare to find litter, and if you do, it's mostly because it's blown out of someone's recycling bin.  It makes the city look really nice and visitors often comment on it.  The nearest large city is pretty dirty though, especially around bus stops, high schools and convenience stores.  So unnecessary.  It's not exactly rocket science to put junk in your pocket or trash can.

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Re: Litter
« Reply #6 on: January 18, 2021, 12:08:10 PM »
I do not comprehend how people can justify littering.

We live in a society where it’s absurdly simple to dispose of trash for free, or nearly free.  That simplicity has created its own problems (namely a throw-away culture where people don’t internalize just how wasteful a typical lifestyle can be).

How on earth can someone think: “hey, I could wait until I get home, or work, or stop at a gas station or convenience store or fast-food place or park or city street to throw out this bit of trash for free, but nah... I’ll just toss it from my speeding vehicle.”??  What’s wrong with them???

Milizard

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Re: Litter
« Reply #7 on: January 18, 2021, 12:33:19 PM »
The snow plows tend to gather it over the winter, but there are volunteer groups that clean up sections of highway in the spring and summer. Volunteers also clean up the beaches every year, and my city has a street sweeper, too.  Plus, the michigan deposit is 10 cents, so people will look for cans and bottles to return for the deposit.

So, it's not bad.

Alternatepriorities

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Re: Litter
« Reply #8 on: January 18, 2021, 12:50:02 PM »
Littering drives me a bit nuts...

Up here it disappears under the snow for 5-6 months every year, so every spring things are awful until we do the annual spring cleaning. Once the biggest stuff if picked up and the plants start to green up a bit we're ready for the tourists to come take their photos... It's sad to see this beautiful place trashed every spring, but at least it gets picked up once a year...

People throwing stuff out the window really pisses me off. If I were driving, I'd stop and make them go pick it up. On a locals bus in Nepal in 2012, a small child offered me a piece of candy. I thanked him and was putting the wrapper in my pocket when he snatched it from me and threw it out the window. I didn't know what to say, his parents clearly thought it was fine. Then I watched as every other person on the bus threw their trash out the window over the course of the trip. It was rather heart breaking to realize that was the social norm in a country so beautiful. Away from the roads things were generally pretty clean, but the roads and streets were disturbing. Not as bad as Morocco in 2009 though. I was so disturbed by the trash there I asked about it. "It's all the kings land anyway" was the only explanation. Apparently when the King planned a visit, officials would go through and clean up the streets along his route. I take that as a warning against isolating leaders in bubbles...

The cleanest countries I have been to are New Zealand and Switzerland. It's probably not a coincidence that those would be my first two choices if I were ready to leave Alaska.


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Re: Litter
« Reply #9 on: January 18, 2021, 12:53:58 PM »
Generally speaking, the litter problem everywhere has been getting worse over the last 40 years, IMO.  In Montreal there are public garbage and recycling cans in a lot of places so there's no excuse.  It's gotten especially bad since COVID, because discarded disposable masks, gloves, etc., are everywhere, and I even see a lot of discarded cloth masks.  I think litter is indicative of the general zeitgeist these days; lack of civic pride etc.

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Re: Litter
« Reply #10 on: January 18, 2021, 01:57:56 PM »
What really worries me is the litter in the sea: every high tide brings more bits of plastic ashore.  I've been doing a monthly beach clean for the last 10 years and things are worse now than when I started.  Some of the litter on the roadside gets washed into the ditches and streams and rivers and is what ends up in the sea where it kills sea life and contaminates the water.

(If you wear artificial fabrics like polyester or fleece, then every time you put them through the washing machine micro-particles of plastic get rubbed off and go into the waste water.  They are too small to be removed by the treatment processes for waste water, so they end up in the rivers and lakes and seas as well.)

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Re: Litter
« Reply #11 on: January 18, 2021, 02:00:08 PM »
I do not comprehend how people can justify littering.

We live in a society where it’s absurdly simple to dispose of trash for free, or nearly free.  That simplicity has created its own problems (namely a throw-away culture where people don’t internalize just how wasteful a typical lifestyle can be).

How on earth can someone think: “hey, I could wait until I get home, or work, or stop at a gas station or convenience store or fast-food place or park or city street to throw out this bit of trash for free, but nah... I’ll just toss it from my speeding vehicle.”??  What’s wrong with them???

You rarely see it now, but I can remember smokers back in the 1950s and 1960s flipping their cigarette butts out the car window.  Way to start a fire.  And they would dump their car ashtrays in parking lots instead of at home.  So its nothing new.

Luke Warm

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Re: Litter
« Reply #12 on: January 18, 2021, 02:21:15 PM »
I do not comprehend how people can justify littering.

We live in a society where it’s absurdly simple to dispose of trash for free, or nearly free.  That simplicity has created its own problems (namely a throw-away culture where people don’t internalize just how wasteful a typical lifestyle can be).

How on earth can someone think: “hey, I could wait until I get home, or work, or stop at a gas station or convenience store or fast-food place or park or city street to throw out this bit of trash for free, but nah... I’ll just toss it from my speeding vehicle.”??  What’s wrong with them???

that's still a thing here. going to the popular sections of the beach you can dig your fingers in the sand and come up with a cigarette butt. the county runs a machine up and down the beach during the summer to clean the sand.
You rarely see it now, but I can remember smokers back in the 1950s and 1960s flipping their cigarette butts out the car window.  Way to start a fire.  And they would dump their car ashtrays in parking lots instead of at home.  So its nothing new.

Fishindude

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Re: Litter
« Reply #13 on: January 18, 2021, 02:49:35 PM »
I just did my annual clean up of the roadside ditches between our property and the nearest intersection, approx. 1/3 mile.   Filled the bed of our little Polaris Ranger about 2/3 full of trash, the majority of which is fast food trash, and beer & soda containers.   Happy to report that country road drinking appears to be alive and well.

I road walk nearly every day and get sick of looking at it.   

Side tracking a bit but everyone wants to talk about doing good things for the environment like getting us all on electric cars and closing all the coal power plants.   Those are huge, big ticket items that will inconvenience millions.   Why not pick the low hanging environmental fruit such as:
1. If you eat indoors at a restaurant of any type, your food is served on re-usable, washable dinnerware, cups, utensils, etc.
2. Outlaw all of the plastic and paper liquid containers and package that stuff in aluminum or steel containers.   These are the only materials that will actually have value to be recycled.
3. More returnable / reusable containers.



Alternatepriorities

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Re: Litter
« Reply #14 on: January 18, 2021, 03:11:57 PM »
Side tracking a bit but everyone wants to talk about doing good things for the environment like getting us all on electric cars and closing all the coal power plants.   Those are huge, big ticket items that will inconvenience millions.   Why not pick the low hanging environmental fruit such as:

Speaking of big ticket items... Maybe before we get too carried away with the idea of UBI, or the recently proposed $2k a month stimulus checks we should consider hiring people to clean the country up. Form a modern day CCC to do work that is naturally inclined to socially distanced and at the end of the pandemic we'd have a much cleaner country.

SunnyDays

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Re: Litter
« Reply #15 on: January 18, 2021, 05:44:28 PM »
I do not comprehend how people can justify littering.

We live in a society where it’s absurdly simple to dispose of trash for free, or nearly free.  That simplicity has created its own problems (namely a throw-away culture where people don’t internalize just how wasteful a typical lifestyle can be).

How on earth can someone think: “hey, I could wait until I get home, or work, or stop at a gas station or convenience store or fast-food place or park or city street to throw out this bit of trash for free, but nah... I’ll just toss it from my speeding vehicle.”??  What’s wrong with them???

that's still a thing here. going to the popular sections of the beach you can dig your fingers in the sand and come up with a cigarette butt. the county runs a machine up and down the beach during the summer to clean the sand.
You rarely see it now, but I can remember smokers back in the 1950s and 1960s flipping their cigarette butts out the car window.  Way to start a fire.  And they would dump their car ashtrays in parking lots instead of at home.  So its nothing new.

When I was recently walking my dog in the nearby large city, I passed the community mailboxes and saw a pile of cigarette butts, clearly dumped by someone stopping for mail.  It was remarkable because I hadn’t seen that for a long time.  (I have to remember to call the post office and complain about the elastics left strewn on the ground by the carrier.)

nereo

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Re: Litter
« Reply #16 on: January 18, 2021, 05:52:29 PM »

Side tracking a bit but everyone wants to talk about doing good things for the environment like getting us all on electric cars and closing all the coal power plants.   Those are huge, big ticket items that will inconvenience millions.   Why not pick the low hanging environmental fruit such as:
1. If you eat indoors at a restaurant of any type, your food is served on re-usable, washable dinnerware, cups, utensils, etc.
2. Outlaw all of the plastic and paper liquid containers and package that stuff in aluminum or steel containers.   These are the only materials that will actually have value to be recycled.
3. More returnable / reusable containers.

I like your thinking here. Is a good reminder that we need to think and act both small and large scale. Eco-minded folks have long sought to limit or completely eliminate a lot of the most ubiquitous single use trash from daily use. I remember one of the first major “wins” when McDonald’s eliminated all styrofoam packaging after an intensive lobbying campaign.  Of course there remains an obscene amount of plastic out there in the food and beverage industry. The other day I got a single cupcake with my takeout order, and it came encased in a big plastic clamshell the size of a softball. Can’t even be recycled right now.

Unfortunately the blowback from limiting or eliminating can be fierce. Municipal and state bans on plastic bags is often a drawn out affair every time. Ironically the pandemic has forced the lifting of our towns’ ban on most single use food containers. Thankfully, with online ordering a lot of places now have plastic cutlery and needless condiments as “add-ons” (often at no cost) So the default has shifted.

Morning Glory

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Re: Litter
« Reply #17 on: January 18, 2021, 06:07:11 PM »
Side tracking a bit but everyone wants to talk about doing good things for the environment like getting us all on electric cars and closing all the coal power plants.   Those are huge, big ticket items that will inconvenience millions.   Why not pick the low hanging environmental fruit such as:

Speaking of big ticket items... Maybe before we get too carried away with the idea of UBI, or the recently proposed $2k a month stimulus checks we should consider hiring people to clean the country up. Form a modern day CCC to do work that is naturally inclined to socially distanced and at the end of the pandemic we'd have a much cleaner country.

Can we please do this. Please...

I have a rural property in the northern midwest and the litter is bad here. I usually fill up 2-3 grocery bags in the spring and 1 per month until snow flies, just from my road frontage. Last year I found an intact speaker and six empty bottles of mango vodka. Also a pudding cup. Who the fuck eats pudding cup while they are driving? I want to know.

nereo

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Re: Litter
« Reply #18 on: January 18, 2021, 06:11:59 PM »
Side tracking a bit but everyone wants to talk about doing good things for the environment like getting us all on electric cars and closing all the coal power plants.   Those are huge, big ticket items that will inconvenience millions.   Why not pick the low hanging environmental fruit such as:

Speaking of big ticket items... Maybe before we get too carried away with the idea of UBI, or the recently proposed $2k a month stimulus checks we should consider hiring people to clean the country up. Form a modern day CCC to do work that is naturally inclined to socially distanced and at the end of the pandemic we'd have a much cleaner country.

Can we please do this. Please...

I have a rural property in the northern midwest and the litter is bad here. I usually fill up 2-3 grocery bags in the spring and 1 per month until snow flies, just from my road frontage. Last year I found an intact speaker and six empty bottles of mango vodka. Also a pudding cup. Who the fuck eats pudding cup while they are driving? I want to know.

A kid in the backseat?

Morning Glory

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Re: Litter
« Reply #19 on: January 18, 2021, 06:15:36 PM »
Side tracking a bit but everyone wants to talk about doing good things for the environment like getting us all on electric cars and closing all the coal power plants.   Those are huge, big ticket items that will inconvenience millions.   Why not pick the low hanging environmental fruit such as:

Speaking of big ticket items... Maybe before we get too carried away with the idea of UBI, or the recently proposed $2k a month stimulus checks we should consider hiring people to clean the country up. Form a modern day CCC to do work that is naturally inclined to socially distanced and at the end of the pandemic we'd have a much cleaner country.

Can we please do this. Please...

I have a rural property in the northern midwest and the litter is bad here. I usually fill up 2-3 grocery bags in the spring and 1 per month until snow flies, just from my road frontage. Last year I found an intact speaker and six empty bottles of mango vodka. Also a pudding cup. Who the fuck eats pudding cup while they are driving? I want to know.

A kid in the backseat?
So the parents let their kid throw it out the window? Way to raise your kid. I wonder what the inside of their car smells like. I don't even let my kids have food in the car. Jeez.

RetiredAt63

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Re: Litter
« Reply #20 on: January 18, 2021, 06:39:35 PM »
Side tracking a bit but everyone wants to talk about doing good things for the environment like getting us all on electric cars and closing all the coal power plants.   Those are huge, big ticket items that will inconvenience millions.   Why not pick the low hanging environmental fruit such as:

Speaking of big ticket items... Maybe before we get too carried away with the idea of UBI, or the recently proposed $2k a month stimulus checks we should consider hiring people to clean the country up. Form a modern day CCC to do work that is naturally inclined to socially distanced and at the end of the pandemic we'd have a much cleaner country.

Can we please do this. Please...

I have a rural property in the northern midwest and the litter is bad here. I usually fill up 2-3 grocery bags in the spring and 1 per month until snow flies, just from my road frontage. Last year I found an intact speaker and six empty bottles of mango vodka. Also a pudding cup. Who the fuck eats pudding cup while they are driving? I want to know.

A kid in the backseat?
So the parents let their kid throw it out the window? Way to raise your kid. I wonder what the inside of their car smells like. I don't even let my kids have food in the car. Jeez.

I'm sure their car is fine.  All the garbage that might have made it smell went out the window.   /s

wenchsenior

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Re: Litter
« Reply #21 on: January 18, 2021, 09:26:55 PM »
I do not comprehend how people can justify littering.

We live in a society where it’s absurdly simple to dispose of trash for free, or nearly free.  That simplicity has created its own problems (namely a throw-away culture where people don’t internalize just how wasteful a typical lifestyle can be).

How on earth can someone think: “hey, I could wait until I get home, or work, or stop at a gas station or convenience store or fast-food place or park or city street to throw out this bit of trash for free, but nah... I’ll just toss it from my speeding vehicle.”??  What’s wrong with them???

You rarely see it now, but I can remember smokers back in the 1950s and 1960s flipping their cigarette butts out the car window.  Way to start a fire.  And they would dump their car ashtrays in parking lots instead of at home.  So its nothing new.

True story.  Maybe 3-4 years ago we were driving into Chattanooga, TN, about half an hour out of town. A small flatbed truck was a couple vehicles ahead of us, and the passenger flicked a cigarette butt out his window, which immediately lodged in the cargo in the back,which was densely packed hay or straw bales LOL.  About 5 minutes later, the truck was aflame, the firetrucks were blaring up to us from the city, and we proceeded to spend more than an hour parked with hundreds and hundreds of backed up cars on the highway, while they worked to put the fire out.  It took a LONG time b/c even though they soaked the outer bales, the embers were still going in the interior. 

Luke Warm

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Re: Litter
« Reply #22 on: January 19, 2021, 06:58:56 AM »
i had the idea of inventing a small trash compactor for your car. it would get emptied whenever you got your oil changed.

alcon835

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Re: Litter
« Reply #23 on: January 19, 2021, 07:09:25 AM »
My city and especially my specific suburb are pretty good about litter. People don't really litter much - we actually have trash cans at every intersection to make it even easier not to litter. I live near a creek and there is always some litter in that thing though. Some boy scouts went through and cleaned it up a few years ago and it didn't take long to fill back up. It's not terrible or anything, but noticeable when I walk along it.

But, really, I don't see much litter in my middle class neighborhood.

RetiredAt63

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Re: Litter
« Reply #24 on: January 19, 2021, 07:29:36 AM »
I do not comprehend how people can justify littering.

We live in a society where it’s absurdly simple to dispose of trash for free, or nearly free.  That simplicity has created its own problems (namely a throw-away culture where people don’t internalize just how wasteful a typical lifestyle can be).

How on earth can someone think: “hey, I could wait until I get home, or work, or stop at a gas station or convenience store or fast-food place or park or city street to throw out this bit of trash for free, but nah... I’ll just toss it from my speeding vehicle.”??  What’s wrong with them???

You rarely see it now, but I can remember smokers back in the 1950s and 1960s flipping their cigarette butts out the car window.  Way to start a fire.  And they would dump their car ashtrays in parking lots instead of at home.  So its nothing new.

True story.  Maybe 3-4 years ago we were driving into Chattanooga, TN, about half an hour out of town. A small flatbed truck was a couple vehicles ahead of us, and the passenger flicked a cigarette butt out his window, which immediately lodged in the cargo in the back,which was densely packed hay or straw bales LOL.  About 5 minutes later, the truck was aflame, the firetrucks were blaring up to us from the city, and we proceeded to spend more than an hour parked with hundreds and hundreds of backed up cars on the highway, while they worked to put the fire out.  It took a LONG time b/c even though they soaked the outer bales, the embers were still going in the interior.

Wow, karma paid a fast visit there.

nereo

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Re: Litter
« Reply #25 on: January 19, 2021, 07:48:23 AM »
i had the idea of inventing a small trash compactor for your car. it would get emptied whenever you got your oil changed.

I know how often many people go between oil changes, and how much trash they have in their cars.  It would need to be a very LARGE compactor!

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Re: Litter
« Reply #26 on: January 19, 2021, 09:06:00 AM »
The trash in my car is mostly masks right now. I don't eat in the car and use reusable water bottle/mug, so not much trash. When I was in college it was a different story.

Luke Warm

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Re: Litter
« Reply #27 on: January 19, 2021, 09:11:26 AM »
i had the idea of inventing a small trash compactor for your car. it would get emptied whenever you got your oil changed.

I know how often many people go between oil changes, and how much trash they have in their cars.  It would need to be a very LARGE compactor!

i guess it could also be burned and sent out the exhaust. jk.

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Re: Litter
« Reply #28 on: January 19, 2021, 10:44:02 AM »
What is the litter situation where you live? Here in NW Florida it's awful. I can't believe the amount of shit on the side of the road. I live in town and there is the occasional cigarette package or fast food bag on our street. When I'm out in the rural areas it's 10 times worse. Don't people have garbage cans at their house? People are pigs. Is it just a southern thing? I've been to Oregon and California and I was surprised by how clean the roadways were. Texas and Tennessee were as bad as Florida.


In my rural, sparsely populated county   my experience with litter is opposite of yours.

Everywhere it's clean which is typical.

« Last Edit: January 19, 2021, 10:51:16 AM by John Galt incarnate! »

nereo

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Re: Litter
« Reply #29 on: January 19, 2021, 10:53:13 AM »
What is the litter situation where you live? Here in NW Florida it's awful. I can't believe the amount of shit on the side of the road. I live in town and there is the occasional cigarette package or fast food bag on our street. When I'm out in the rural areas it's 10 times worse. Don't people have garbage cans at their house? People are pigs. Is it just a southern thing? I've been to Oregon and California and I was surprised by how clean the roadways were. Texas and Tennessee were as bad as Florida.


In my rural, sparsely populated county   my experience with litter is opposite of yours.

Everywhere it's clean which is typical.

It's almost as if population density and trash are positively correlated!!

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Re: Litter
« Reply #30 on: January 19, 2021, 04:46:15 PM »
What is the litter situation where you live? Here in NW Florida it's awful. I can't believe the amount of shit on the side of the road. I live in town and there is the occasional cigarette package or fast food bag on our street. When I'm out in the rural areas it's 10 times worse. Don't people have garbage cans at their house? People are pigs. Is it just a southern thing? I've been to Oregon and California and I was surprised by how clean the roadways were. Texas and Tennessee were as bad as Florida.


In my rural, sparsely populated county   my experience with litter is opposite of yours.

Everywhere it's clean which is typical.

It's almost as if population density and trash are positively correlated!!

I also wonder if our views on what's a lot of litter are coloring our perspectives. I think in my rural area, there's a lot of litter. I haven't picked up from the roadside in the front of and near my house in a while and I noticed today 3-4 items that I need to pick up. To me, for a few hundred random feet of roadway, that's a lot. Maybe to others, that's not much compared to what they're used to? I dunno.

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Re: Litter
« Reply #31 on: January 19, 2021, 07:06:59 PM »

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Re: Litter
« Reply #32 on: January 20, 2021, 11:58:55 AM »
I saw an ashtray dump in the parking lot at the grocery store last week.  It was definitely a "wow, I haven't seen that in a long time" moment.  Sadly, there was a trash can within a 100 ft.

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Re: Litter
« Reply #33 on: January 21, 2021, 06:53:52 AM »
There is a lot of litter in my blue collar New England town, especially around the 7-11s and Dunk's.  I occasionally bring a plastic grocery bag on my walk and do some clean-up, but I should do this more often. What is it with Fireball? The nips are everywhere; you would think they fall from the trees like goddamn acorns or something.

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Re: Litter
« Reply #34 on: January 21, 2021, 06:56:20 AM »
There is a lot of litter in my blue collar New England town, especially around the 7-11s and Dunk's.  I occasionally bring a plastic grocery bag on my walk and do some clean-up, but I should do this more often. What is it with Fireball? The nips are everywhere; you would think they fall from the trees like goddamn acorns or something.
In my state (also in New England) fireball is the #1 selling. Replaced coffee flavored brandy, Iirc. I don’t get it either. People want to get drunk on something that tastes like candy, I guess...

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Re: Litter
« Reply #35 on: January 21, 2021, 07:07:16 AM »
There is a lot of litter in my blue collar New England town, especially around the 7-11s and Dunk's.  I occasionally bring a plastic grocery bag on my walk and do some clean-up, but I should do this more often. What is it with Fireball? The nips are everywhere; you would think they fall from the trees like goddamn acorns or something.
In my state (also in New England) fireball is the #1 selling. Replaced coffee flavored brandy, Iirc. I don’t get it either. People want to get drunk on something that tastes like candy, I guess...

I got drunk on that stuff exactly once, when I was eighteen or so. I still can't stand cinnamon candy or chewing gum.

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Re: Litter
« Reply #36 on: January 21, 2021, 07:22:11 AM »
There is a lot of litter in my blue collar New England town, especially around the 7-11s and Dunk's.  I occasionally bring a plastic grocery bag on my walk and do some clean-up, but I should do this more often. What is it with Fireball? The nips are everywhere; you would think they fall from the trees like goddamn acorns or something.
In my state (also in New England) fireball is the #1 selling. Replaced coffee flavored brandy, Iirc. I don’t get it either. People want to get drunk on something that tastes like candy, I guess...

As someone who loves Atomic Fireballs (the candy which is literally in a jar on my desk at work), I cannot even stomach Fireball (the alcohol).  These people need to realize there are better options, that are less expensive, have a higher ABV, and probably result in less of a hangover.

As far as litter is concerned, it seems like just over the past year or so I stopped noticing cigarette butts all over parking lots.  Unfortunately, those have been replaced by disposable masks.  There's a trash can located at most cart corrals, take a couple extra steps and dispose of your mask properly.

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Re: Litter
« Reply #37 on: January 21, 2021, 07:35:28 AM »
I see lots of garbage everywhere in my city. In some areas I see crews cleaning it up but it's not common. I'm tempted to pick it up myself but it would be a never ending job. Between leftovers from garbage day, thoughtless litterers and a lack of public garbage cans, it's a perpetual problem that won't go away anytime soon and I'd fill a bag every block. I've never understood people who litter, or people who keep nasty garbage in their car. I keep a little garbage bag in the side of the door and empty it often, it's mostly tissues anyway.

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Re: Litter
« Reply #38 on: January 21, 2021, 08:40:26 AM »
Litter has always bugged me. Im wondering if it's genetic because I remember my dad if he's walking, would backtrack to pick up a cigarette butt or piece of trash to throw away. And my youngest (when she was at her old middle school) mentioned she spends some of her lunchtime each day picking up trash on school grounds because it bothered her! We actually planned to volunteer for this biannual creek clean in our town (but covid happened).
« Last Edit: January 21, 2021, 08:42:18 AM by partgypsy »

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Re: Litter
« Reply #39 on: January 21, 2021, 09:28:18 AM »
Filthy cars are the worst. Doesn't have to be perfectly detailed but trash free and vacuumed goes a long, long way.

I've flipped many cars over the years (as in reselling). I mean like a garbage can of trash from small car interiors. Our teen and I drove home from another city in teen's first car years ago. Was so cheap. And so filthy. I didn't want to touch anything. Wished I wore gloves bad and put a blanket over the seats bad. It cleaned up pretty good but was a gross out fest to start. One truck I purchased to flip was so bad I stopped on the way home just to empty the interior of food garbage. Took the seat out and hosed out the interior literally. Tire brush and dawn soap on everything but the dash including the cloth seats.

When someone expresses interest in a newer car I always suggest that they detail the car or pay to have it detailed. Sometimes makes a car feel new again and they are happy to own it again.

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Re: Litter
« Reply #40 on: January 21, 2021, 10:58:07 AM »
Filthy cars are the worst. Doesn't have to be perfectly detailed but trash free and vacuumed goes a long, long way.

I've flipped many cars over the years (as in reselling). I mean like a garbage can of trash from small car interiors. Our teen and I drove home from another city in teen's first car years ago. Was so cheap. And so filthy. I didn't want to touch anything. Wished I wore gloves bad and put a blanket over the seats bad. It cleaned up pretty good but was a gross out fest to start. One truck I purchased to flip was so bad I stopped on the way home just to empty the interior of food garbage. Took the seat out and hosed out the interior literally. Tire brush and dawn soap on everything but the dash including the cloth seats.

When someone expresses interest in a newer car I always suggest that they detail the car or pay to have it detailed. Sometimes makes a car feel new again and they are happy to own it again.

I wonder what their houses look like inside?  As the saying goes, "How you do something is how you do everything."

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Re: Litter
« Reply #41 on: January 21, 2021, 11:01:20 AM »
Filthy cars are the worst. Doesn't have to be perfectly detailed but trash free and vacuumed goes a long, long way.

I've flipped many cars over the years (as in reselling). I mean like a garbage can of trash from small car interiors. Our teen and I drove home from another city in teen's first car years ago. Was so cheap. And so filthy. I didn't want to touch anything. Wished I wore gloves bad and put a blanket over the seats bad. It cleaned up pretty good but was a gross out fest to start. One truck I purchased to flip was so bad I stopped on the way home just to empty the interior of food garbage. Took the seat out and hosed out the interior literally. Tire brush and dawn soap on everything but the dash including the cloth seats.

When someone expresses interest in a newer car I always suggest that they detail the car or pay to have it detailed. Sometimes makes a car feel new again and they are happy to own it again.

I wonder what their houses look like inside?  As the saying goes, "How you do something is how you do everything."

Dunno - my house (and in particular my kitchen/living spaces) are clean and meticulously organized, but my car tends to be a mess.  I just don't have the energy or wherewithall to get the toddler out of her seat, bring her inside, take off gloves/coat/hat, wash hands, unload groceries, and then go back outside to vacuum up cheerios or whatever else is back there.  And our field gear tend to make a dirty mess in the back, not to mention the thousands of cable-ties that are everywhere.


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Re: Litter
« Reply #42 on: January 21, 2021, 12:45:27 PM »
Disagree. Know at least 2 people who own at least one vehicle that's mess inside, but office, home is organized. Can be a blind spot. Otoh if a person has a spotless car, most likely neat everywhere else.

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Re: Litter
« Reply #43 on: January 22, 2021, 11:49:59 AM »
The inside of my vehicle sometimes gets a little trashy precisely because I never throw anything out the window. Cleaning it from time to time is a small price to pay for not contributing to trash everywhere else.

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Re: Litter
« Reply #44 on: January 22, 2021, 12:02:22 PM »
What are people doing in there cars that make them so messy?
For me, parking my car is a trigger to grab anything that doesn't belong in my car.  If I'm at work, a store, or a gas station, I grab all of my trash and put it in the nearest trash can.  If I'm at home, I grab everything (trash, gym bag, water bottle, laptop, etc).

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Re: Litter
« Reply #45 on: January 22, 2021, 12:26:03 PM »
What are people doing in there cars that make them so messy?[/b]
For me, parking my car is a trigger to grab anything that doesn't belong in my car.  If I'm at work, a store, or a gas station, I grab all of my trash and put it in the nearest trash can.  If I'm at home, I grab everything (trash, gym bag, water bottle, laptop, etc).

Small children.

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Re: Litter
« Reply #46 on: January 22, 2021, 12:34:47 PM »
What are people doing in there cars that make them so messy?
For me, parking my car is a trigger to grab anything that doesn't belong in my car.  If I'm at work, a store, or a gas station, I grab all of my trash and put it in the nearest trash can.  If I'm at home, I grab everything (trash, gym bag, water bottle, laptop, etc).

I think a lot of people are just rushing on to the next thing and feeling a little behind. Also, sometime I don't feel like standing in the rain trying to clean up one more thing.

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Re: Litter
« Reply #47 on: January 22, 2021, 12:50:14 PM »
What are people doing in there cars that make them so messy?[/b]
For me, parking my car is a trigger to grab anything that doesn't belong in my car.  If I'm at work, a store, or a gas station, I grab all of my trash and put it in the nearest trash can.  If I'm at home, I grab everything (trash, gym bag, water bottle, laptop, etc).

Small children.

I've got 3 of those (5, 3, & 8 months).  The van still manages to stay clean.
It mostly comes down to whether or not a clean car is important to you.  I really don't care what the outside of my car looks like as long as it's easy to get in/out without having to navigate through a pile of junk on the floor.

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Re: Litter
« Reply #48 on: January 22, 2021, 01:03:09 PM »
What are people doing in there cars that make them so messy?[/b]
For me, parking my car is a trigger to grab anything that doesn't belong in my car.  If I'm at work, a store, or a gas station, I grab all of my trash and put it in the nearest trash can.  If I'm at home, I grab everything (trash, gym bag, water bottle, laptop, etc).

Small children.

I've got 3 of those (5, 3, & 8 months).  The van still manages to stay clean.
It mostly comes down to whether or not a clean car is important to you.  I really don't care what the outside of my car looks like as long as it's easy to get in/out without having to navigate through a pile of junk on the floor.

I use the thick layers of dust on the dashboard to write myself notes and reminders.  Seems less efficient to spend time removing that only so that I need to carry something around with me to remember things.

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Re: Litter
« Reply #49 on: January 22, 2021, 01:34:15 PM »
What are people doing in there cars that make them so messy?[/b]
For me, parking my car is a trigger to grab anything that doesn't belong in my car.  If I'm at work, a store, or a gas station, I grab all of my trash and put it in the nearest trash can.  If I'm at home, I grab everything (trash, gym bag, water bottle, laptop, etc).

Small children.

I've got 3 of those (5, 3, & 8 months).  The van still manages to stay clean.
It mostly comes down to whether or not a clean car is important to you.  I really don't care what the outside of my car looks like as long as it's easy to get in/out without having to navigate through a pile of junk on the floor.

Clearly it’s not high on my list of priorities - there just always seems to be something I’d rather be doing with my time.  On a related subject, we don’t wash the outside either.  I know some people take pride in having a shiny, freshly waxed vehicle, but that’s not us.  To each their own.

 

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