Fielder's Choice

Wednesday afternoon on my short drive home, I couldn't help but notice the new litter.

There was an entire bag, filled with empty sandwich containers, etc., tossed out in a city street.

I will never understand littering.

Several things come to mind ­ laziness, carelessness, lack of care for our environment, just to name a few.

I can think of no logical explanation.

I had someone tell me once, in another town, when I confronted them about littering, "Someone will pick it up?"

Once litter starts, in any location, it seems others just add to it. Litter multiplies.

That narrow stretch of street to our house seems to pile up quickly ­ often right after the city cleans it up and cuts the grass.

I pick up litter most every day in front of our office, around our office, and in the alley beside our office.

I'm not sure where it all comes from. I realize some of it blows into our location on a windy day.

It's obvious that often, after hours, people ride through the alley and dump things in our trash cans. I used to get mad about that. But then I guess it's better than throwing it along a roadway or in a ditch somewhere.

I remember when my mother helped me buy my first car ­ a black Malibu Classic. Even though I was 16, and I had been drilled on not littering during my school days, she made sure I had a small bag in my new car for trash.

A clean city is a sign of a quality city. A clean county is a sign of a quality county.

And a dirty city ­ a dirty county ­ well, that usually translates into, "I don't want to live there" or "I don't want to locate my business there."

I read this quote the other day in an online article about the benefits of not littering ­ "Clean is beautiful. It's good for the heart and soul."

Cleanliness multiplies.

I appreciate the efforts of so many ­ clubs, churches, community leaders, elected officials, law enforcement officers, city and county workers, and good citizens in general ­ who regularly pick up trash along our roadways and in our neighborhoods.

It doesn't go unnoticed.

And here's hoping that those who are littering will see it and take notice and stop throwing things out of the windows of their automobiles.

Here are a few facts about littering from Conserve Energy Future.

It's illegal.

It doesn't look nice. Places with high littering are also often riddled with crime.

Data shows that the presence of litter in a community decreases property values by 7 percent.

Litter on the ground degrades natural areas and kills plants and animals.

The most common littered objects, in descending order, are fast food, paper, aluminum, glass and plastic. It turns out someone would rather toss their burger wrapper and empty soda on the street rather than find a garbage can.

Litter is smelly and dirty and can be dangerous and unhealthy for our environment.

And the points go and on.

I write this anti-litter column at least once a year. I despise littering. Maybe, just maybe, a litterer will read it and stop.