As we move on from 2020 and the year of the worst pandemic in 100 years, we look back and begin to look ahead as well. With the incredible work of scientists on the Covid vaccine, we are now able to socialize and travel with more ease. We cannot thank them enough.
It is hard to predict what will come out of a crisis like the one we have just lived through. The ripple effects of a large-scale crisis can be interesting, strange, good, or devastating. A ripple effect as we know is defined as the continuing and spreading of an event or action. This would imply that the pandemic is not really over, it’s just spreading out. As a result, for example more people are working from home and offices remain vacant in some cities. The homeless have moved into many cities as the work rhythm has been disrupted and downtowns are sparse of workers. The housing market is on fire and homes are selling for crazy high prices with multiple offers. The ripple effect is still extraordinarily strong across the country.
We had seen one specific ripple effect in Florida but did not know how extensive it truly was. This may seem silly but it is about trash – the trash created in states and towns during the Covid pandemic. It is such a problem that Time magazine did an article on it entitled, “The Pandemic Creates a Trash Epidemic.” It apparently is a huge problem in cities and on roadways as litter is seen on more streets, in previously clean neighborhoods, and in waterways. The litter has harmful effects on humans and animals as they frequently ingest it. What is strange and funny is that we had just been talking about this when we saw the article. The combination of more trash from people being home, disposable PPE, carry-out containers, inappropriate recycling, littering, dog waste and throwing out items from mattresses to tires have contributed to this epidemic.
With waste management workers in short supply due to Covid, this has created a widespread problem. On the other end of the stick are those individuals that have decided that it is ok to litter, throw stuff from vehicles, and leave trash where they recreate. Keep America Beautiful, the nonprofit litter-prevention group, has reported enormous numbers of billions of pieces of trash along highways and in waterways. This is huge!
The ripple effect of the Covid pandemic continues to be evident. We may be going from a title wave to a ripple but the side effects are still with us. Environmentalists are watching this litter phenomenon and are calling on us to pick up our trash like our parents taught us many years ago. We ask if anyone remembers how to use a trash can anymore?
If your city or town has escaped this rubbish issue, you are lucky. We remember the campaign when we were kids, Don’t be a Litterbug,” and the 1963 campaign, “Every Litter Bit Hurts.” Maybe it is time to bring this movement back and make litterbug a household word again.
In the words of Jane Goodall:
“If We Don’t Make Peace with Nature, Expect More Deadly Pandemics.”
