Making a difference

Dear Editor,
    The amount of trash in this community is unreal. Every single piece of trash that you throw out the window, (or ditch in the woods) adds up. On Oct. 6, the eighth grade walked around Houlton and picked up the litter. You wouldn’t believe all of the garbage. Each of the five classes walked back to the school with five to six overflowing bags of careless people’s junk. Subway sandwich wrappers, soda cans, old rusty coolers, giant tarps and a cake pan are just a few of the items we threw in the garbage bags. On the side of the road, in the ditch, and in the woods is where the litter stays.
     How can this town dispose of garbage the right way? When you’re driving to work enjoying an Egg McMuffin instead of tossing the wrapper out the window, throw it in a garbage can. The ditch is not a wastebasket. If someone you know litters, tell them it is the wrong thing to do, and that you don’t want the town looking like a dump. Trash cans are all over: restaurants, fast food places, offices, and stores have them, so you can USE them. Everyone’s trash in the garbage can is always better than on the side of the road. Let’s all work together and dispose of trash the right way and our town will be cleaner and a better place.
     What can you do to help reduce the amount of litter in the town? There are several ways you can help. In your spare time go out for a walk and pick up trash. If you want, even go with some friends. Don’t forget to bring several garbage bags and plastic gloves! Tell friends and family the consequences of littering and that nobody ever wants to face them. Spread the word that littering is against the law and if you get caught it is a pricey fine. Not only does it affect the way the town looks, but also it is terrible for the environment. Trash ends up in the ocean and woods, then animals mistake it for food. Litter is bad for the environment, humans, and animals. You can help reduce the amount of litter in the town.
    Why do we need to stop using the outdoors as our garbage can? We need to use our own trash cans because pollution makes our town look disgusting. Nobody likes trash lying around. People seem lazy because they don’t care where they leave their garbage. If you were driving through a town in New York and saw a ton of garbage on the streets, you would probably think of them as lazy people. The same thing happens in Houlton; people drive through the town and see litter everywhere. Pollution is extremely bad for the environment. Sea animals mistake plastic for food and get tangled up in it then they strangle themselves. Animals in the forest swallow garbage and they choke to death. If littering doesn’t stop we will be walking in three feet of disgusting, rotting garbage. We humans need to stop littering and think about the consequences. The outdoors is not a garbage can and it will never be.
    The amount of litter in this town is terrible. Everyone needs to work together to reduce the amount of trash. Spread the word about pollution so we can make Houlton a cleaner town. Instead of throwing your McDonald’s cup out the window or ditching your old cooler in the woods, just simply put it in a garbage can. Tell others that littering is the wrong thing to do and that garbage cans are all over the town, so use them. You can go out and pick up trash; you never know what you will find, Pollution makes our town look gross, and our people look lazy. It is bad for everyone. Do you want to make a difference?
Morgan Nelson
Grade 8
Houlton Junior High School