Those who litter shirk responsibility

I was walking in our neighborhood when I came across an eyesore on the tree-shaded street flanked by well-maintained single-family homes. It was a fast-food bag, still partly filled with food or paper or foam wrappings. The bag was obviously tossed out a car window and had been run over by some unsuspecting driver. The nearest fast-food restaurant is about a mile away, but the food may have traveled farther.

It's an eyesore I see more and more these days.

I was walking my dog, as I do nearly every day. I understand that it's my responsibility to clean up after him, so I keep a couple of plastic bags in my pocket to handle such emergencies. 

The fast-food bag makes a bigger mess than my dog does. Its contents get ripped open by passing cars, and small animals check the contents. Wind or rain might move the bag up or down the street. I usually think about picking up the bag and finding a trash can for it — doing what the offending litterer should have done, but I am leery of what might be in the bag. A person lazy or thoughtless enough to toss a food onto a city street might also be sick enough to put a rattlesnake or poison in the bag.

I have to assume that the litterer does not feel guilty about his offense. Someone will clean it up, he thinks, as he callously speeds away. The street is a public entity, so the city will clean it up, he thinks. The city might, but not before other motorists, walkers, nearby homeowners and the weather take their turns at the bag.

The litterer must think, "It's not my responsibility," but of course it is. Roadside litter is a multi-million-dollar problem for state and local governments, all because way too many people think they should be able to use public thoroughfares as their personal trash dumps. Tossing litter onto the street or roadside is against the law, but prosecution is rare.

This problem gets worse. Before I retired, at least once a week in the parking lot of the office building where I work, there would be a disgusting sight of a disposable diaper that had been tossed out of the car after a diaper change. People parking in the lot had to dodge these reeking land mines as they exited their cars and headed to the building. Those who failed to be extra-careful could end up ruining their shoes or sandals, thanks to some irresponsible mother or care-giver who couldn't be bothered to dispose of a disposable diaper in a responsible manner. Knowing a diaper change would likely be necessary, couldn't they put a trash bag in the car to take care of the problem responsibly?

Society depends on people to be responsible for their actions. Criminal courts punish those who fail to be responsible in the most egregious ways, but the daily skirting of responsibility for little things also threatens society.