The new year is here and it’s time for a whole new set of New Year’s resolutions. You know, the things we pledge to do differently this year, even though you may not have completed last year’s resolutions.
No judgement here as most of us never complete them; in fact, most of us give up on them after only a couple of months.
But what if there was one resolution that we could all do together, and that one thing could make our lives, community, and planet better?
What if that one thing didn’t result in you spending hours at the gym or trying a new diet plan?
What if it only took one minute per day, every other day?
So, what is it? Litter. Yes, litter. That stuff that we see in parking lots, along roadsides, and too often in our own neighborhoods.
If you’re like me you might be thinking, “I don’t litter, so why is this such a problem?” And you would be right, as most of us don’t litter. The good news is that since 2009, littering has gone down by over 50%. But, even with all that progress, Americans still left 50 billion pieces of litter on the ground last year.
Here are a few statistics to think about:
90% of U.S. residents agree that litter is a problem in their state.
Of the 50 billion pieces of litter, 24 billion are along roadways and 26 billion are along waterways.
An estimated 207 million PPE items were littered on U.S. roadways and waterways through early fall 2020.
There are more than 2,000 pieces of litter per mile.
If we can agree that there’s a problem, then we can all be part of the solution. But before we get to that, where does all this litter come from? Most litter is the result of carelessness. It blows out of over-stuffed garbage cans or from the back of a truck or boat. And yes, some comes from someone intentionally throwing it on the ground or out the window of their car. Crazy, but true.
If littering were to stop today and waste was properly managed, and every American picked up 152 pieces of litter this year, we would have a litter-free nation in 2022.
So what can we do? This is the exciting part and where we all need to commit to a few simple things:
If we all picked up just one piece of litter a few times every week, it would all be gone. That’s the one minute, every other day.
Don’t overstuff your garbage can on trash night. (Seriously, just put the excess in your neighbor’s.)
If you own a pickup truck or boat, don’t allow anyone to put trash in the back to blow away.
Did you know that it’s free to be a part of the Adopt-A-Highway volunteer program in North Carolina? The program was started here in 1988 and is run through the NC Department of Transportation. Not only will you be reducing litter, but you’re also saving taxpayers money through the process. You can adopt a piece of highway to keep clean as an individual, family, school, civic group, professional group—just about any way you can think of. The commitment is only four years at a time, for a two-mile stretch of highway. NCDOT installs two Adopt-A-Highway signs with a recognition panel on the adopted roadway and provides training and materials so volunteers can safely carry out their goals. You can learn more about it here: https://www.ncdot.gov/initiatives-policies/environmental/adoptahighway/Pages/get-involved.aspx
There’s one more thing, and this is where we need to help the “litter bugs” among us see the light. Call them out, respectfully, of course. When you see someone littering, kindly ask them to pick it up. If they refuse, no need to argue. You just found your one piece of trash to pick up for the day.
In addition to being unsightly, litter and plastics are contaminating our soil, oceans and harming our planet. Since we’re all in this together, let’s make 2022 the year we take out the trash and feel good about finally completing a New Year’s resolution.
Happy New Year and be well!
Nick Pione is a local business owner, blog writer and natural wellness expert. He co-founded Trek CBD and contributes to medium.com and trekcbd.com. For more information, please contact him at nickpione@trekvitality.com.
