Please stop and think before you dump.
Louisiana is a great place to live if you enjoy spending time in the great outdoors. It’s one of the simple pleasures of life to go cross country and just enjoy the view. Whether you enjoy cruising on foot or pedaling up a sweat by bike, it’s all good.
The rice and soybean fields are greened up right now, offering some nice scenery. There are plenty of species of birds and critters to keep you entertained if you get bored. It’s free entertainment, and available to anyone who wishes to partake.
There’s one very pressing problem that seems to grow like a cancer. This is serious stuff concerning the condition we leave this world for the next generation. It only takes a few bad apples to ruin it for everyone. Indiscriminate littering of public roadsides is a growing problem, and has long-term detrimental effects for everyone.
A popular biking trail south of town is getting trashed consistently. Here’s a short list of trash and debris duly noted: tons of discarded plastic containers, beer and soda cans, fiberglass insulation, carpets and pads, rubber tires, furniture, mattresses and appliances.
And when you think you’ve seen it all, keep on trucking. At a bridge crossing a canal was a fashionable, partially submerged sofa and chair. The matching sofa and love seat were a contemporary set that was actually quite striking. Instead of dumping them on the side of the road like most litterers, this particular genius dumped them in the canal.
Not only does the canal serve as a drainage ditch for the area, but also as a source for rice farmers flooding their fields. You can believe neither usages ever crossed the feeble minds of those breaking the law.
It’s so nonsensical it’s hard to believe. Parish residents now have a dump at their disposal that will take almost any and all debris. But some choose to break the law and deface the countryside, all in one fell swoop.
The really bad news is the composition of most of the debris. Rubber tires and plastics will be there for a lifetime or until someone picks them up, so don’t hold your breath.
The good news is on a return trip, the lovely sofa and chair had been removed from the canal. Probably either the parish or possibly a farmer had the honor, grief and considerable expense of taking them to the dump where they belonged in the first place.
When there’s heavy rain, and water begins backing up into suburban neighborhoods, the source can be traced to debris clogging the drainage system. It’s a shame, but some people obviously don’t give a hoot about flooding or spoiling the view for everyone. It’s a lose versus lose situation.
Think about a litter bag in your vehicle that can be neatly disposed of. And if you have heavy debris, think and simply visit a legal dump site.
Littering is a bad habit that’s illegal. If you’re caught, you will pay. It’s not worth the risk, and the damage is irrevocable. Respect the beauty of Mother Nature and the right we all share to enjoy it. Louisiana is a beautiful place to live; let’s keep it that way! DO NOT LITTER!
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