“KOBE!” I exclaimed as I tossed a bundled up wrapper, aiming at the trash bin. That was NOT a Kobe. The wrapper bounced off the rim and fell helplessly to the ground. Sighing, I walked over and put my scraps in the trash bin. Everyday, Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) students are constantly littering or not cleaning up after themselves. This generates a problem: school janitors/workers are forced to clean up after us. Walking around with their grabbing tools, they slave away, picking up the trash of ignorant teenagers “too cool” to be throwing their trash away. And yet we never address our gratitude for these workers trying to maintain FVHS as a clean and presentable environment. This problem is further compounded at greater scales. Trash has always been a byproduct of human consumption, and it doesn’t help that we litter as well. We need to do better!!

Here are some examples of littering in our school and community:

1. Students leaving their lunch scraps behind, such as lunch trays and milk cartons. In addition, students intentionally litter.

Is it that hard to place trash in the trash bin instead of leaving it on the ground or table? It’s not right to have other ADULTS clean up after those who don’t feel like doing it themselves. It’s embarrassing to not have the responsibility of cleaning up after yourself. And what’s the point of littering? Yeah it’s convenient, but all it does is decrease the cleanliness of the area. As chemistry teacher Mr. Olsberg asks, “Are your musculos (Spanish) too weak to pick up trash?”

2. Sometimes, students toss their trash into the bin but miss 😂. 

To be honest, it makes me laugh whenever I witness this hilarious situation. Half the time, they do the right thing and pick up their trash, but other times, they either don’t, or don’t even notice that they missed in the first place. I’ve had to pick up someone’s missed trash once, so if you’re going to toss your trash, make sure it physically makes it in!

3. Trash on the streets or the sides of roads.

It’s not as common and frequent here in Fountain Valley, but the last couple of times I visited Hollywood, many areas were littered with trash. In my opinion, it’s not a good reputation. Tourists visit LA from around the world and witness our wrongdoings. I can’t believe how careless people can be about their surroundings…

4. Drivers on the road littering.

I don’t see this very often but it annoys me when it occurs. Sometimes, people just toss their fruit peels or cigarettes out their car window! In my opinion, there’s nothing wrong with keeping trash in the car until getting the opportunity to throw it away. All it does is dirty the environment and the space we use daily.

Overall, it’s the little things that add up to big things. Littering a small piece of trash can impact humanity at a global scale when added up. Due to its insignificance to people’s lives, people tend to not have a single care in the world when it comes to throwing their trash away. As a result, our ignorance negatively affects our surroundings, such as degrading the appearance of cities and harming wildlife. Even as children, we’re taught to clean up our toys and messes. Let’s apply these beneficial skills to our lifestyles. So the next time you toss a piece of trash into a trash bin, ensure you make the shot.