For one camper, the worst kind of pest he's encountered while spending time in nature isn't any kind of animal — it's a litterbug.
"It doesn't matter where I'm at," he wrote in a post on the subreddit r/Camping. "Whenever I go out I see trash."
He included a video of himself cleaning up, explaining: "I keep bags with me and commit to picking up at least one bag on every camping trip."
He pointed out that what was even more frustrating about this particular site was that there was a trash can there, yet somebody had left their trash scattered about in nature regardless.
Commenters applauded his initiative in cleaning up after the litterbugs.
"My number one rule when camping is to leave it better than I found it," one person said.
Another echoed the sentiment. "My son and I do this when we camp too," they wrote. "I love it when it is hard to fill an entire bag!"
But even if it's not always easy to fill an entire bag, there's almost always some trash to be found. One commenter shared: "When I go fishing or walking along the river I usually end up with a pocket full of fishing line."
Another vented about what they described as "selfish, horrifying behavior," recounting one horror story. "Many people who off grid camp know to pack in and pack out," they wrote, but "I recently went camping with some people that … left baby wipes all over a hillside and they threw their uneaten food in the bushes."
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Sadly, while many people go camping specifically to enjoy and respect nature, others don't care — or don't realize — that littering is not only ugly but also extremely harmful to the environment.
Litter contaminates the surrounding ecosystem both directly and indirectly. As it slowly degrades, it releases microplastics and other toxins into the air, water, and soil. It also harbors bacteria and disease-carrying pests, especially if said litter contains dog — or human — feces.
Wild animals also suffer a great deal from trash that's left behind. They can easily become entangled, stuck, or choked by it; they also often end up accidentally eating it after mistaking it for food.
And while cleaning up is admirable, the best way to minimize pollution in nature is to simply dispose of your garbage properly, particularly when you're visiting pristine natural areas.
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