Do you really want to be an Earth killer?

To the Editor:

Think about this: What is the hardest thing you have chosen to do? Now, if you chose to do that, how come you can’t throw away a piece of trash?

This is one of the easiest ways to save the Earth. Most people don’t realize the effect that one piece of trash could have. One piece thrown down can add up pretty fast. Do you really want a planet filled with trash, which is unsafe to live in?

Littering is actually against the law, but people could care less. Some people decide they should just take the easy way out and either drop the trash or pretend like they didn’t see it fall.

But is it really that hard throwing something in a garbage or recycling bin?

No.

It has never been even the slightest bit difficult. If you’re really too busy or lazy to throw something away, I think you’ve got a problem. I have actually seen someone throw a wrapper on the grass, and you know what? A garbage can was actually about six feet away; only six feet — unbelievable!

Some people think, once it’s on the ground, somebody will eventually pick it up. But that’s not how it always works.

Loose trash moves throughout the world. Litter can harm animals and wildlife. Our oceans have trash in them and that is constantly killing animals.

I found that a sea turtle’s favorite snack is jellyfish, and what do you think a plastic bag in the ocean could be mistaken for? If a sea turtle makes that one mistake, bam, dead sea turtle. An animal paying the price for a mistake you made

In the Pacific Ocean, there is a giant pile of trash nicknamed “Trash Island.” It is formed partly by floating rubbish from land that nobody bothered to pick up. If we don’t stop littering, that pile will just get bigger and bigger. “Garbage Island” is the biggest landfill in the world, stretching hundreds of miles across the North Pacific.

A lot of people don’t pick up random trash from the street. Like, for me, sometimes at lunch, I saw trash and figured that the person who left it there should be responsible and pick it up themselves. I mean, if it’s not mine, it’s not my problem.

But, one day, I saw on Yahoo the effect litter has on the Earth, so I’ve been trying to pick up litter when I see it. The article said that some litter with toxic substances can pollute our environment. It also said 90 percent of all trash floating in the ocean is plastic.

Plastic is not biodegradable, so it will stay there forever if we don’t pick it up. If we start recycling things like plastic, that would make the amount of trash in the ocean decrease. Even if it’s not yours, it’s still hurting the Earth! Just remember, no Earth, no life.

Now, how do you feel about that one piece of litter?

Please don’t make innocent animals and wildlife suffer for your stupid actions. How would you feel if litter were constantly finding its way to your room — possibly making your living environment unsafe? Not so good, huh?

Before you drop that wrapper or ignore that floating bag in the wind, think about what could happen.

Cheryl Blank

Guilderland

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