Spring's Here & So is the Trash

Ah, spring! It's time to shake off the winter chill and dive into warm sunshine, rainbows of flowers, song birds and the great outdoors. It's also the perfect time to give back to Mother Earth and cleanup the trash that's accumulated over the past few months. You've probably noticed a blend of plastic bags, food containers and other rubbish within the emerging grass. Ugh, I know. Gross! Unfortunately, some fellow humans aren't aware of the impact littering has on our environment, or worse, they don't care as much as we do.

Why Littering is a No-No

Littering is costly to clean up and can result in you having to pay a hefty fine if you're caught for your majorly uncool action. More importantly, it packs a powerful punch to the environment by wreaking havoc to the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat and the invaluable ecosystems we coexist with:

• Water polluted with chemicals leeches into our drinking water supply.

• Soil runoff is a big offender of adulterating our food crops and ecosystem food sources. This occurs from consumer waste, gasoline and polluted water. Soil absorbs the toxic waste and in turn feeds it to the crops and vegetation that are supposed to nourish humans and wildlife.

• Marine life ingest plastics that harm their habit and health. We in turn eat those fish and place those toxins in our own bodies.

• Animals -- whether of the land or sea -- cannot digest plastics. Their digestive systems become blocked or inefficient at assimilating nutrients, ultimately leading to death. Not to mention animals are often injured by plastics polluting their natural habits.

These examples are just a snapshot of the effects littering has on everyone and everything. Obviously, none of this is good and we humans are the offenders. It's imperative we all do our part to sustain our wonderful planet that's now in peril and reverse the damage we've created.

How You Can Help Keep It Clean

First of all, not polluting is simple -- just don't do it. Throw your trash in a trash can. Place recyclables in

the proper receptacles, depending on your city's rules and regulations. Heck, you can even chuck your trash on the floor of your passenger side floor until you can find the time and right place to put your garbage. It only affects your car floor and won't end up in the mouth of some poor unsuspecting woodland creature or find its way into the food on our plates. It's really that easy, and you can definitely do it!

Already doing your part and want to go the extra mile? Check out your local cleanup happenings and pitch in! To find events to participate in:

• Hunt on your favorite search engine for "Spring Cleanup 2019."

• Browse local Facebook events or city/township pages.

• Contact your city or township for details.

Lots of these cleanup events need block captains to facilitate organizing the event and recruiting volunteers. If you have the leadership bug and are super-passionate about environmental consciousness, volunteering as your neighborhood block captain could be your thing.

Litter is and always has been a detriment to our planet. Together we can help get it under control one cleanup at a time. Feel free to share your spring cleanup experiences and photos in the comments or on Love, Mother Earth's Facebook page. Can't wait to get out there and help the planet!