A visitor to Washington's Snoqualmie Falls was disgusted and disappointed to see the beautiful vista littered with plastic garbage.
They posted a photo of the trash on Reddit, simply asking, "Why?"
In the photo, several plastic water bottles, coffee cups, toilet paper, and other assorted trash was strewn in the grass on the other side of a barrier.
Commenters were similarly frustrated by the flagrant littering. "That's awful," one person wrote.
"People should have more respect," another agreed.
Sadly, the sight of left-behind garbage — especially in protected nature areas — is all too common. Nothing spoils a stroll in the woods or an afternoon at the park like finding a pile of trash. But not only is litter unsightly, it's also actually dangerous.
Exposure to plastic in humans is associated with lung issues, birth defects, cancer, hormone disruption, disease transmission, and more. Plastic products are estimated to contain over 16,000 chemicals, of which at least 4,200 are "chemicals of concern," per the Geneva Environment Network. As these plastics sit in the woods or on the beach, they release toxins, which accumulate in soil and the ocean over time.
Litter also physically endangers wildlife. From small animals that crawl inside bottles and can't get out to birds and large marine mammals that become entangled in discarded fishing lines and suffocate to animals that accidentally ingest and then choke or starve to death on plastic, the threats are multifold.
"We need to increase fines and maybe have some small jail time for repeat known offenders for littering," one person said. "It's deplorable. We can do better, this is so preventable."
Indeed, spending just an extra 10 to 30 seconds cleaning up your garbage can make all the difference to your local ecosystem. By planning ahead to avoid using any single-use plastics, taking advantage of local recycling options, and packing out your trash, you can keep your natural scenic areas pristine.
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