Pollution is the act of introducing poisonous or harmful substances and objects into our surroundings. When trash is improperly disposed of, it becomes litter. And litter, whether it’s intentional or not, creates an undesirable, unsanitary, and unsafe living environment. 

Most people don’t recognize litter as a huge problem. I mean, we know trash is filling up our oceans and all around highways but so long as it’s out of sight it’s out of mind right? Strongly expressed in an environmental article written by Wild Side Hawaii, “Just because we may not directly feel the effects of this pollution doesn’t mean that it is not damaging lives.

Littering is a result of overconsumption, and nature and wildlife are paying the price. Millions of animals die each year from getting trapped in or ingesting different forms of litter. Animals suffocate, starve, choke, and die because of improperly disposed trash. 

Pollution affects everything and everyone on a global level. Climate change is caused by a layer of pollution that traps heat around the globe. This results in more intense and frequent natural disasters, like extreme weather, which creates chaos and destruction within thousands of communities and habitats. Natural Disasters can be detrimental. With these increasing effects of climate change, it’s so important to keep our ecosystems clean!

While it won’t be for hundreds of years until our atmosphere is carbon dioxide-free, there are certain things you can actively do to help this pollution problem. For one, don’t litter. This problem, rooted in overconsumption, kills millions of animals already struggling to survive in the ecosystems we’ve damaged. PS: while properly disposing of your trash, please be sure to cut six-pack plastic rings. You’d be surprised how many animals are injured or killed because of those things. 

Second, learn more about recycling and its importance to our environment. To give you a headstart, recycling reduces air and water pollution. You know, the water that billions of organisms survive off of, the water that is the very pillar of life itself. The air that surrounds us and is yet another fundamental part of life. Anyway, I hope you read this and decide to take the extra 30 seconds out of your day to dispose of your trash AND recycling properly.