A frustrating experience at a beautiful national park this summer sparked a conversation about the prevalence of litter in the great outdoors.
This Redditor picked up a family's garbage — at least they'd put it in a bag — and admonished them, only to be met with laughter. It happened at Peyto Lake in Alberta's Banff National Park, one of North America's great natural settings whose stunning water is fed by a glacier.
"Tourists: remember to pick up after yourselves, please," they wrote. "... Please don't tolerate this kind of behaviour. If you see this, say something. Nature is not your trash can."
The main issue was that a garbage bin was 10 meters away. That proves that no amount of convenience will be enough for some people, who are intent on defiling natural resources that are not always so easily cleaned up.
Glitter and confetti are particularly hard to pick up, and gender reveal parties, for example, often leave masses of messes to be addressed by anyone but the offenders.
Wildlife can also suffer the effects of this delinquent and even criminal behavior — in Banff National Park, those who feed, entice, or disturb animals can be fined a whopping $25,000.
Creatures can mistake the trash for food or become entangled in it, which leads to illness, injury, and death. Discarded food can be especially dangerous, as it habituates wildlife to human nutrients, and they may then forsake natural options.
Parks Canada says to never offer animals food, leave food unattended, or abandon food waste.
Some segment of any population is sure to ignore or remain oblivious to such rules no matter what, though education and a kind word can help change harmful attitudes and behaviors.
One commenter provided a great way to put this into practice: "I chased a bunch of people down with their fast food litter saying, when I caught up them, 'hey you dropped this. Can't possibly imagine that you'd intentionally throw this on the ground.'"
Someone else said: "F*** these people they have zero shame and I'm so beyond tired of it...and to teach [your] kids to be like that too what is wrong with you?"
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