Mote Park, tucked away in Ireland's Roscommon region, is a tranquil expanse of forests and pastures strewn with atmospheric stone ruins.
But it's also strewn with garbage.
In a recent post from the Mote Park Conservation Group, this rampant littering was called out for the ugly habit that it is.
"It is shocking to see the lack of respect some people have for the countryside," the group wrote in the Facebook post. "This is the second time in a matter of weeks that litter has had to be picked up by volunteers in Mote Park."
The photo showed a pile of brightly colored trash, which appeared to be mostly plastic wrappers and other garbage.
"It appears that some disrespectful citizen tidied out their car and dumped the contents in a plastic bag," the group wrote.
The community agreed. One commenter called the littering an "absolutely disgraceful thing to do."
Local news station Shannonside FM reported on the incidents. They spoke with the Conservation Group's Eilish Feeley, who emphasized that they would hold perpetrators accountable whenever possible.
"This is not acceptable and we continue to try to name and shame if we can," she said.
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Absolutely 👏 The group's Facebook post also mentioned that they had found possibly identifying information within the contents of the litter, which they were passing along to the park's litter warden.
"We'd ask people to be mindful of the fact that we should be keeping our countryside clean," Feeley urged. "Bring your litter home and dispose of it."
This issue has been around for as long as parks themselves have been. Advocates argue that the more we learn about the harms of littering, the more responsible we are to prevent garbage from making its way into natural spaces that are supposed to be protected and conserved.
The aesthetics of trash is the least of the problems. Litter poses great risks to wildlife, both from being ingested or from trapping them and causing them to starve or suffocate. As garbage breaks down, it releases chemicals, dyes, and microplastics into the surrounding soil and water. This means these toxins seep into the local ecosystem in a way that will continue to pose a threat for decades to come.
Instead, as the Conservation Group encourages, visitors are best to follow the principles of Leave No Trace and pack all their litter to take home with them.
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