TERRE HAUTE —
Dear My Fellow Hoosiers,
Why do you litter? When I moved here in April 2007 there were two things that I noticed right away about the Wabash Valley. The first was the large number of dogs and cats running loose. The second was the abundance of trash everywhere. Maybe my driving routes have changed, but for the most part I don’t see a lot of strays anymore. What I still see is trash, and it is everywhere.
Fast Food Nation
If you were to get food on-the-go for lunch, how would your lunch be packed? If you drove through a fast food chain, it would most likely be packed in a paper sack. I have a theory on fast food litter. About a quarter of a mile from a fast food joint are all the wrappers. One to two miles away are the sacks and two to three miles away are the cups. I say this because I live a few miles from fast food row, and my front lawn is constantly littered with cups.
Here is what I think is happening. You unwrap your first sandwich and take a couple bites. You then discard the wrapper. Then you unwrap your second sandwich, and discard the wrapper. You fish for fries, and one minute later you’re done. Then you take a few remaining sips of your large soda, and out goes the cup.
Some people feel no sense of ownership for public spaces. They believe someone will pick up after them, and it is not their responsibility. You live here. Why don’t you care about the town you live in? My car can get very messy with food containers, but after a while I will take them in and properly dispose of them. It is really not a big deal. My car doesn’t smell, and there is no food staining my upholstery. If you’re worried about the litter in your car, then I would suggest designating a trash bag in your car.
Something
to Crow About
Last week I was walking from my office to the Terre Haute Young Leaders’ Meeting at Clabber Girl. On my journey to the meeting, there were parts of the downtown sidewalks that I could not walk on without stepping in crow droppings. What does this say to visitors?
I can see why crows love our town so much. The people are nice and we provide a warm environment with the right amount of lighting. What crows probably love most, is the endless supply of food. I was driving south to Indiana State University’s Recycling Center on a Saturday morning about three weeks ago and I looked to my left and saw about 10 crows perched on the ledge of a Dumpster with an open lid, eating breakfast.
More recently, I was driving to the grocery store and noticed crows munching out of a garbage can. At first look of the photo I snapped, one might just see an overflowing trash can. If you look closer, you will see crows having a feast. On my way back from the grocery store, I pulled over and snapped another picture of a crow eating outside of a fast-food restaurant. Crows are not the only animals munching on our waste.
“I’ve heard that one reason we see so many raptors perched and hunting along roadsides is because our trash attracts rodents, which attract their food sources such as mice. This leads to many raptors, especially owls, getting struck and killed by vehicles,” said Wabash Valley Audubon President Marty Jones.
Solutions
According to a Keep America Beautiful survey, about 85 percent of littering is the result of individual attitudes. If officials spent one hour a month dedicated to ticketing people who littered and fined them steeply, word would spread fast. If offenders can’t afford to pay it, 20 hours of community service picking up trash would serve justice. I am also a fan of using county, state and federal inmates to pick up trash on a regular basis.
Changing public policy through codes, laws or ordinances is one way to change behaviors around quality of life and environmental issues. However, codes, laws or ordinances are only effective if enforced. I would suggest ordinances in which all Dumpsters must have lids and the lids must be kept closed at all times. If people recycled more, I would also anticipate garbage cans would not overflow. Fewer overflowing receptacles could mean less garbage blowing out of their bins and one fewer food source for crows and other animals.
n Use a car litter bag.
n Use a car or portable ash tray.
n Identify transition points and place ash and litter in receptacles.
n Cover all open loads on trucks leaving your business.
n Place receptacles near food venues, eating areas and bus stops.
I am willing to work with others to solve this simple problem. Please share your ideas. In the meantime, I have become obsessed with taking pictures of trash and have started an album on my public Facebook page.
Jane Santucci is an environmental freelance writer for the Tribune-Star. Santucci is a proud volunteer with TREES Inc. and Our Green Valley. She also sits on the Wabash Valley Goodwill Industries Board of Directors. Share your environmental stories and tips with her at JaneSantucci@yourgreenvalley.com.
Valley Life
Terre Haute’s litter leads to trashy look, feast for crows
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