It seems like some people still haven't gotten the memo that littering is uncool, but luckily some good samaritans are here to clean up their act for them.
One Redditor in the DeTrashed subreddit vented about some very trashy behavior they encountered on the side of the road.
"I cleaned this road up a week ago, and someone dumped four truck tires and a whole lot of trash," they said. "[I] only managed to get a bucket of cans and some tires this time."
The post shows photos of the mess, including the truck tires and several bags of other trash such as smashed White Claw cans and plastic bottles.
Litter is no joke. For one thing, trash on roadways can cause vehicular accidents. Plus, litter cleanup in the United States costs us more than $11.5 billion annually, according to the City of Raleigh, North Carolina, website.
Litter also causes soil, water, and air pollution, which endangers human and animal life. In fact, 60% of water pollution can be traced to litter, per the Texas Disposal Systems companies.
Plus, millions of wild animals lose their lives each year as a result of eating or becoming entangled in garbage. About 8 million tons of plastic waste make their way to the ocean each year, and more than 100,000 marine mammals like dolphins, whales, and seals die from ingesting or becoming entangled in it. One million seabirds are killed annually by marine litter, according to the Perseus research group.
Improperly discarded trash also can attract insects and rodents. Flammable materials can even start a fire, endangering communities and wildlife.
Plus, it's just unsightly and can even decrease property values. According to the National Association of Home Builders, litter in a community can decrease property values by 7%.
According to Keep America Beautiful, some of the most commonly littered items include cigarette butts, food packaging, alcohol beverage containers, tires, plastic bags and bottles, and construction waste.
But people all over the world are fighting back. DeTrashed is a community of more than 138,000 members who post about their cleanup efforts in cities across the globe, from Belgrade, Serbia, to Pennsylvania.
DeTrashed community members were upset about the trash found by the original poster, but also expressed gratitude for a job well done.
"[It's] so disappointing and frustrating that others litter like that, especially enormous items like tires," one person commented. "But thank YOU for all that you do to keep our planet clean! 🙏🏻"
"What a beautiful road that you restored," another commenter added. "Great work!!"
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