I do not understand the mentality.

[tomf]

Seeing litter on the sides of roads offends me, I can’t understand the mentality of people who toss trash out of their cars. I drive down some really beautiful roads and to see garbage along the side is an eye sore. How can people live in scenic places and abuse them? The world is not their garbage can and if they do not want it in their car then they should not bring it into the car in the first place.

[gumbo2176]

That's one of the main gripes in my city. I can't count the times I've seen cars at red lights and the driver, or someone in the car, will roll down a window and toss trash out the window onto the street. It's like "Gee, I've finished my Happy Meal, now to get rid of the trash from my car!!"

Here's another one that gets me. I've been inside the neighborhood "Mom & Pop" corner store and people will buy a soda and some chips, ask for it to be put in a bag, walk outside the store and take the chips and soda out the bag and toss it to the ground----------absolutely pointless.


The reason you can't understand the mentality is because you have an IQ above that of a subhuman animal.

[rainbowgardener]

Yeah, makes me crazy too. My yard fronts on a big busy street, so almost daily we have to clean up trash from our yard that people in cars (mainly, occasionally pedestrians) have tossed in our yard. That's not only littering, it's property rights violation. Would they toss their trash in their own yard?! (I don't know, maybe they would...). The worst thing about it is that there is no grocery store, gas station, convenient mart or anything, within a couple miles of my residential neighborhood. They had to buy their trash somewhere else and bring it with them to toss in my yard.

But even crazier is when I am out in the woods, sometimes in some pretty remote areas and find beer cans that people packed in with them and left behind. You come to that spot because it is so beautiful, and then you leave it uglier for everyone else? If you can carry it in full, you can carry it out empty!

I'm sure you inspired lots of people's rants here, tom!

[applestar]

I think it starts young. My kids have a friend in the neighborhood that they really like and play with. He's a polite kid and usually brings his own after school snacks, sometimes extras for my kids as well. So I can't understand it that he leaves the wrappers and empty cans, bottles, etc. in our front yard, driveway, porch, etc. when our trash can and recycle bins are kept right there at the top of the driveway....

[Bobberman]

The highway is not a dump or compost pile! It all starts in my opinion with people throwing their cigeretts buts everywhere!

[DoubleDogFarm]

Cover your load, not all littering is deliberate. Most garbage comes from the back of trucks. On our island we have been warned, if you show up at the transfer station with a uncovered load, you maybe fined.

We also have "Adopt a road" here on the island. We still have trash but it's a lot better than most places.

Eric

[webmaster]

Even worse is going to the woods or a lake and finding trash on the trails or lakeside.

I was fishing once off one of those small t-shaped lake docks and an old gent decked out in orvis style fishing clothing unpacked his fishing gear and started fishing. This guy looked like he walkred out of an Orvis fly fishing catalog. He resembled a retired doctor. During the course of fishing he soon got a birds nest in his spinning reel and instead of untangling it he snipped a couple yards of line off his pole, balled it up, and then tossed it into the water, even though there was a garbage can not more than ten steps behind him.

[gixxerific]

I throw everything out the window. It saves me money on paying for a trash service at the house.


Of course I'm kidding here before someone freaks out on this.

[PunkRotten]

That's one of the main gripes in my city. I can't count the times I've seen cars at red lights and the driver, or someone in the car, will roll down a window and toss trash out the window onto the street. It's like "Gee, I've finished my Happy Meal, now to get rid of the trash from my car!!"

Here's another one that gets me. I've been inside the neighborhood "Mom & Pop" corner store and people will buy a soda and some chips, ask for it to be put in a bag, walk outside the store and take the chips and soda out the bag and toss it to the ground----------absolutely pointless.


The reason you can't understand the mentality is because you have an IQ above that of a subhuman animal.

You should get down their license plate when you see them throw stuff out.

[PunkRotten]

But even crazier is when I am out in the woods, sometimes in some pretty remote areas and find beer cans that people packed in with them and left behind. You come to that spot because it is so beautiful, and then you leave it uglier for everyone else? If you can carry it in full, you can carry it out empty!

I'm sure you inspired lots of people's rants here, tom!

Yep, all the nature/wilderness areas around here are extremely littered. And also there is tons of graffiti on trees and rocks. The last time I was there I saw tons of trash; beer cans and bottles, baby diapers, empty chip bags, plastic supermarket bags, other random bottles and cans, various boxes and paper, and other random trash.

[lily51]

We live in a rural area, or as the people in town think of it, the garbage dump. Whole bags of trash thrown along the road, fast food containers, cans, you name it.
Lots of people think this is just "land" and don't know it actually belongs to someone.
And if they would realize that someone is really them, too, that they're trashing their own envrionment.
Where have all the hippies gone?

[tomf]

Not that long ago a sheriff came by my place; he was looking for a back road. The sheriff was hired for a dump stop program. We talked for some time and he told me stories about how people try to lie their way out but just make them self’s look guiltier. When he gets them they get a fine and if they go to court to fight it the fine is always way more. So to save $75 it cost some of them thousands.

Broken glass bottles have stared forest fires.

When I leave an area of the beach or woods I leave it cleaner than I found it, I figure it takes a few decent people to make up for some of the pigs out there.

Lilly if you find ID in the garbage bag you may be able to do some thing about it.

I have a friend who works for the parks department in the next town over and he says people will toss trash on the ground even when they are a few steps from a trashcan.

I have had fantasies of filling people’s cars with all the garbage they tossed from it.

[gixxerific]

Yes this really makes me sick. We do stream cleanups a few times a year, you wouldn't believe the stuff that ends up there. whenever we go camping we clean up "other" peoples stuff.

I could go on but it makes mad and I might say some things I shouldn't on here.

[Bobberman]

If you see someone throwing a whole bag of garbage along the road turn them in because any phone numbers in the bad will lead the police to arrest them of find out who they are! The proof is in the bag!

[lorax]

It has been a large problem here, but the government is running shame campaigns that actually seem to be working! I was amazed at it, myself, but hey. Anything that reduces the amount of roadside trash is a godsend.

[gixxerific]

If you see someone throwing a whole bag of garbage along the road turn them in because any phone numbers in the bad will lead the police to arrest them of find out who they are! The proof is in the bag!

Good point, I work construction and have seen multiple times where people think your dumpster is their dumpster. The homeowner or builder looks through bags and finds out who illegally dumped in their dumpster. The offenders have either paid for the dumpster or paid fines.

[digitS']

Sum people . . .

Some people pick up after others.

I drove thru a small city this morning - big enuf to have a homeless population. I am sometimes dismayed at the mess homeless people will make of their not-so-comfortable environment. Then, I see this person out picking up plastic junk beside street construction. He probably feels that he is helping the workers as well as making the area a little less unsightly.

Anther homeless person I passed had only 1 shoe. He may of discarded the other shoe. Probably wasn't something he wanted to do - may have walked right out of it.

When people stop at a McDonalds, many are attracted to the golden arches or the fragrance of French fries. It isn't the packaging that they are jonesing for. Well, maybe it is. Nearly as useful to them and their nutrition. . .

Disposable food/income/homeless people.

Steve

[tomf]

Down town Portland has a big homeless problem, and in some places you can smell where they relived them self’s.

[rainbowgardener]

You know what, that is not the same as some nice well fed person driving by in their nice car and dumping their trash on my lawn. If you are homeless and living under a bridge, you have no choice but to relieve yourself in public places. Even if you are staying in a shelter, most of the shelters give you a bed (or cot) to sleep in, but then lock you out for the day. They think they are making sure that you are out looking for a job, not lying around all the time. But who can look for a job with no proper clothes, no transportation, no money, no access to computer... It just makes sure they are miserable and still have no choice but to relieve themselves in public places.

People do not choose to be homeless and many of us are just a paycheck or two away from it...

[digitS']

Nice people look after themselves, their environment and their fellow humans.

When homeless people are nice . . . it puts others to shame.

About the most disturbing picture on this thread for me is the apparently affluent, well-attired fisherman tossing tangled line into a lake. Begs the question, how does this society allow people like that to prosper?

Steve

[tomf]

Rainbow I agree and disagree with what you said. It is pitiful people dump trash with no moral thought of it.
There are not enough public facilities and this often forces people to go where they can. Some of them are so drunk they will go where ever any ways. There are a number of homeless that are simply misfortunates or from bad homes and there are homeless that choose it as a way of life. Most are homeless due to mental, drug or alcohol problems. I have met my share of homeless so I am not just talking what the news media tells me. What can be done with the problem I do not know, what is a fact is they do make a mess of where ever they are; there may be a few homeless that do not make a mess but that is the exception. There are so many of them in down town Portland that they are hurting the vibrancy of it and their constant begging makes people feel unsafe, therefore avoiding shopping in down town Portland.
Where I am compassionate I am also realistic.

[tomf]

Now what about graffiti? I so find it disgusting!

[digitS']

Tom, my mother was no fancy lady but she was usually careful about her language. However, there was a certain directness about her.

Her take on graffiti was that it was like a dog hiking his leg on a post .

There's a certain contemptuousness about graffiti. An, "I'm here now and you aren't so I'm going to do whatever I want to do!"

Not much of a believer in the sacredness of property but there is proper and improper human behavior. As creative expression, I think 99.9% of graffiti fits into the deficient category.

Steve

[lily51]

There are also the homeless who at one time would have been taken care of in some way, in some facility, due to their limited mental capabilties or their mental illensses. Not that all these facilities were great, but some were, and those who could not take care of themselves were taken care of. Society does have responsibility to those unable to take care of themselves.

[tomf]

Lily that is so true, there was a time when they had a place in a facility and then the funds were cut off throwing them out. Many who could not manage on there own wound up in the streets. The issue is complex and many people could be helped but in this economy I do not see it happening unfortunately.

I feel we can not think of our rivers as a place to dump waste, we can not think of the sides of roads as a place to dump trash and the air is not some thing to poison. We need to have respect for what we have.

[lily51]

I agree, Tom. It seems like we are moving backwards in so many ways. Just take a look at the Cuyahoga River when it would catch on fire to remind ourselves of why the Clean Water Act was needed.

I just see this attitude if anyone or anything is in trouble, too bad, In poverty? Your own stupid fault, deal with it; Major illeness? your fault, get along the best you can and it might bankrupt you; Environment? meant to be use however companies want. Mentally ill? fend for yourself on the street. It seems like there's a movement to become a compassionless society.

Oops and this all started with garbage along the road.

[tomf]

same attatude is it not?

[shadylane]

What has happened to the signs "Please do not litter" with a fine posted at the bottom. I don't see them any more.
I find that the interstates are littered as well with blown out tires from semi's. Really an eye sore as well. With the McDonalds cups and pop bottles, a lot of teens and adults use these for alchoal drinks and toss them when done.

Keep American beautiful was an advertisement seen reguarly on TV is that still being shown?

[Hammer_Ga]

I live in the woods on a road where I seldom hear a car go by. The perfect place to dump whatever people don't want unnoticed by anyone. It crawls all over me to see a pick up load of trash dumped in such a pretty place rather than take it to the dump for a $5 fee. But what kills me is that this is also the spot that people bring their unwanted pets.

[cherishedtiger]

I am right there with all of you!!! I was sitting at a red light and some lady in front of me was basically cleaning out her car, by throwing everything out the window. I got so mad I yelled out the car to put her trash in a garbage can not the road. I got the finger and she pulled away. I was so furious!
Another thing that irks me is watching a garbage truck going down the street spewing out trash... arent those things supposed to contain the trash?!