While hiking through a beautiful, lush valley ringed with towering peaks, one person was blown away by the view — but not in the way he had hoped.
Craig Cook (@cook.craig) posted a video of the sight on Instagram. In it, he shows a crumpled cigarette box, its bright colors standing out against the rocks and dirt of the trail, before zooming out to contrast the garbage with the gorgeous natural scenery around it.
"Who the f*** actually does this!!!?" he wrote. "Why would you go on a hike in a beautiful place like this and simply throw your litter on the ground. INFURIATING!"
While the occasional piece of litter may fall out of a pocket or backpack, there are countless instances of people intentionally leaving garbage in beautiful, protected natural spaces like this one. Not only is this bewildering behavior — considering that anyone hiking through an area like that was presumably there to enjoy nature — but it actively harms the environment where it's left.
Litter quickly becomes a breeding ground for bacteria and disease-carrying pests like mosquitoes, and as it slowly breaks down over time, it releases chemicals and microplastic particles into the surrounding air, water, and soil. The ubiquity of these materials has led to microplastics accumulating everywhere, from coral reefs to inside wild animals.
Additionally, trash like this poses a physical threat to wildlife, which often mistake the brightly-colored plastic for food. Countless animals have been found choked, strangled, stuck inside, or otherwise killed by encountering human garbage.
This isn't an issue limited to hiking trails, either. According to the nonprofit group Oceana, 33 billion pounds of plastic garbage ends up in our oceans each year, the equivalent of two dump trucks every single minute. In the ocean, that litter and debris regularly kill whales, dolphins, fish, sea turtles, and more, who become trapped inside it or strangled by it.
And the more people witness deliberate littering — especially in protected parks — the more socially acceptable it may seem to litter. That's why it's imperative to instead follow the principles of environmental stewardship from groups like Leave No Trace and, as they often say, "Take only photos and leave only footprints."
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
