Human Slobs

[tropicalescape]

I have seen places in Mexico where there are carbon bags by the millions blowing in the breeze ,would drive for miles and miles and millions of carbon bags...saw a MEX.GOV.fence that ran for 20 miles and was coverd in carbon bags from one end to the other, you could not see the fence just the bags .listning to NPR(socialist radio)one day... had a story about carbon bags being a problem in some african country that passed a law ..no more plastic bags..was in Jamaica in 1982-83 when free enterprise was inacted..there were no carbon bags at that time..two years later when everyone owned a shop the plastic bags were everywhere..and there were half smoked spliffs everywhere(which wasnt that big of a problem..as there was no filter)LOL ..saw a story on the NET.about floating rafts of plastic trash in the pacific.. now they have one in the atlantic...worked on a agriculture extention program in Guam taking waste from the land fill and growing mushrooms on the ceulloid (paper),as waste is a big BIG problem in Guam..it was a total success..was going to benafit the 4-H ers,then the powers that be came in and shut it down said," to many unknowns "perhaps the ink on the paper had bad stuff in it.the land fill still burns..guess there is no STUFF in the smoke from the burning land fill.burn baby burn ..makes as much since as that Italian guy(acted like a native american) that did the dont pollute ads in the 70s..now that is something to cry about.DVC

[Acedude]

While cleaning the bottoms of boats in the harbor, I'd always find a lot of trash at the bottom of certain boats *cough* charters *cough cough*. And it's always amazing how much junk ends up at the bottom right next to the pier! Free dive all day long and can't clean it all up.

Always see trash at the tourist beaches too. I'm not saying the locals don't contribute, but clean up your own mess. Whatever happened to the phrase my father taught me "leave a place better than how you found it."

[perchance]

Originally Posted by YADO

While touring in Chile, I saw a garbage truck back up to a river bank and the driver dumped the entire load of garbage into the fast flowing stream of water.
As we all know, "stuff flows downstream".
Out of site, out of mind.....

In India they wait for the monsoon to flush the streets clean.

[dropanchorfor3]

This is great, so far everybody is on the same page. We all understand that there is a problem and to get most of these "human slobs" to do anything about it would be like pulling teeth. So I guess if I am not happy about it I could right our Governor, which could take months to get a response.
I could walk into our city hall and talk with them about our nasty problem, but there response would probable be we don't have the funds for it. Or I could take 1 day out of my life walk the beach with a bag and a "human slob garbage picker upper" and feel better about myself. And you know what will happen, I'll be picking up plastic and trash and I'll watch some a- hole berry there cig butt and I'll say something and a fight will break out.
That's ok I am a brown belt in Jui Jitsu...

[imagine2frolic]

dropanchor,

I see you gave no information on your profile. I am just wondering where you are from? As typed it's the human race, and I have seen it in every country I have been in.

My son is now 38, and at 7 he watched an adult throw garbage on the ground. He called out, hey don't be a litter bug, and the person picked up their trash. Gee I wonder we he got that from. Monkey see monkey do........i2f

[dropanchorfor3]

Originally Posted by imagine2frolic

dropanchor,

I see you gave no information on your profile. I am just wondering where you are from? As typed it's the human race, and I have seen it in every country I have been in.

My son is now 38, and at 7 he watched an adult throw garbage on the ground. He called out, hey don't be a litter bug, and the person picked up their trash. Gee I wonder we he got that from. Monkey see monkey do........i2f

If you re-read what I wrote, It would have told you that I live in Florida and Lido Beach is in Sarasota. If you have seen this in every country you have been to, then it should point to "human race" that has created this problem.

[imagine2frolic]

I read Lido, but that doesn't tell me much. I don't know the location of every named town in the USA, so I asked.

I do agree with you that it's a sin what we do to ourselves, and disgusting......i2f

[dropanchorfor3]

Originally Posted by imagine2frolic

I read Lido, but that doesn't tell me much. I don't know the location of every named town in the USA, so I asked.

I do agree with you that it's a sin what we do to ourselves, and disgusting......i2f

2 years ago Lido Beach was named the 3rd best beach in the grand USA. I would argue that, I read in our local papers about 4 months ago they named Lido Beach 3rd best again. I and a lot of other people argue this issue because of the litter problem. It's common sence to a bunch of us that our local papers wrote that to attract tourists.
Siesta Key was ranked #1 in the country, and it is absolutly stunning, but it does have it share of litter like every other beach. My point was and is, if you have a beach that is ranked in the top 10 of beaches in the country, wouldn't you like to keep that beach as clean as possable. That's all I am saying...

[hellosailor]

Note in tpday's papers, "Japan" will be washing ashore in California over the next two years. All the debris from the tsunami that can float, from shredded houses to car parts, is moving eastwared to california and the rest of the north American coast.

Ciggies overboard is a MARPOL violation, call the USCG and if they've got nothing else on their hands, they'll come up to roust the boats. If nothing else they'll do a full safety inspection and write 'em up for anything else they can find.

Karma.

[David M]

It appears that a large percentage of smokers do not consider cigarette butts to be trash. I kinda wonder what is the percentage?

I make it a point when I travel to leave a place at least a little cleaner than I found it. I think it is good Karma.

[GordMay]

"Considerate smokers don't litter. Those who do deserve criticism as much as any other litterer."

"How to dispose of a cigarette butt when there is no ashtray
Tear off the burning tip, as close to the end as you can. Drop it on the ground. Do not step on it. Let it continue burning, resulting in ash only. If near a trash can, dispose of the butt after double checking to make sure it's out. Otherwise put the butt between cellophane and cigarette package for later disposal."
➥ The Smoking Section - alt.smokers Frequently Asked Questions

“It is estimated that several trillion cigarette butts are littered worldwide every year. That's billions of cigarettes flicked, one at a time, on our sidewalks, beaches, nature trails, gardens, and other public places every single day. In fact, cigarettes are the most littered item in America and the world.”

“CigaretteLitter.Org is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to running educational campaigns aimed at significantly reducing the amount of cigarette litter. Most people who litter their cigarettes either don't fully understand the consequences of their actions or they have rationalized the behaviour.”
➥ CigaretteLitter.Org - The Facts About Cigarette Butts and Litter - Smokers

[JusDreaming]

Our garbage is here for ever unfortunately. So with all the smart people out there why can't we come up with styrofoam that dissolves after a certain time limit. And the same with plastic bags!!!!!! I know shelf life,(before being used), is the issue, so make them start the molecular break down when they come in contact with heated liquids or water!
In the Bahamas we always find two items, hard hats and light bulbs

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by JusDreaming

... why can't we come up with styrofoam that dissolves after a certain time limit. And the same with plastic bags ...

Littering is fundamentally a problem of irresponsible behaviour, which should be tackled by changing people’s attitudes, rather than by changing the products they are throwing away.
Making products biodegradable may actually make the problem of littering worse, by making people think that it is OK to throw away valuable resources like plastics. For example, a biodegradable plastic bag that’s thrown into a hedge will still take years to disappear, rather than days as some people believe.
Even a banana skin,when discarded, needs 1-3 years before it is completely biodegraded!

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by JusDreaming

So with all the smart people out there why can't we come up with styrofoam that dissolves after a certain time limit. And the same with plastic bags!!!!!!

They have. Its available. The deposit on plastic water battles is not unique

The state of South Australia currently has a refund of 10 cents per can or bottle[1] .... the deposit extended to paper cartons e.g. flavoured milk and orange juice

10 cents per container is quite a lot.
As a kid I worked from 9 yeras old delivering or selling newspapers. Those jobs are not available anymore, but at 10 cents per bottle I would be self employed!
2 hours after school would have to net 100 bottles/cartons =$10 or $50 per week. For a 9 year old thats a few movies/popcorn and... [I edited it out but it was funny!].



Mark

[JonathanSail]

This is a good thread and it's nice to know so many share the same views on the problem.

"So with all the smart people out there why can't we come up with styrofoam that dissolves after a certain time limit. And the same with plastic bags!!!!!!"

I agree with the biodegradable line of thinking. Getting all of our trash out of the pretty places and into our land fills only shifts the problem with the massive amounts of trash still existing, and for a long time. I also agree with the criticism of the wasteful packaging commonly in use today. We can, and hopefully will, dramatically reduce our generation of trash by moving towards more efficient, minimalist packaging.

Fortunately we are starting to take steps in both directions. Bioplastics are common in many restaurants and some vendors have reduced packaging, or moved to biodegradable packaging. They aren't perfect but bioplastics seem like a step in the right direction and they are available for all of us too (random example site, I have not affiliation or experience with it/them):

Eco Hot Cups, PLA Cups, Corn Plastic Products, Compostable Cups, Eco Friendly Products

Though I doubt many cruisers use disposable food service items.

Jonathan