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OUR OPINION
Litter is unsightly. There is no denying that. In areas as pretty as Northeast Washington and North Idaho, soda cans, plastic bags and other trash that lines the highways really stands out.
But there are other reasons people shouldn’t litter.
For one thing, it’s illegal. Both Washington and Idaho have laws against littering.
In Washington littering could cost up to $5,000. Fines range from $103 to $5,000, with the highest fines for lit debris, such as cigarettes and for items that can cause car crashes. Sometimes people get into car wrecks trying to avoid litter on roads. Securing your load is important and if something falls out which causes a wreck, you could face a gross misdemeanor, with up to a year in jail possible.
In Idaho, littering is a misdemeanor with six months in jail and a fine up to $1,000 possible. Idaho statute also provides the possibility of eight to 40 hours of litter cleanup.
But there are many other reasons not to litter. Some litter is dangerous. People and animals can cut themselves on some types of litter. Litter can be hard on wildlife in other ways. Birds, small animals and water creatures eat or get tangled in plastic bags and plastic six ring holders.
It takes a long time for litter to deteriorate. Cigarette butts that don’t burn up in the fire they start take five to 30 years to decompose. Styrofoam, glass and car tires can take more than a million years, plastic bags up to 600 years, aluminum cans 200-500 years. Even things you think will decompose quickly, such as banana peels and apple cores take more than a month to decompose.
It is not that hard to avoid littering. Just don’t do it and don’t let your passengers throw things out the window. Make sure your load is secure.
Help keep the area beautiful. Don’t litter.
DG
