The Logic of Littering

The Morning Report
San Diego news and info
you need to take on the day.

SUBSCRIBE NOW

Read it first

Here’s an interesting news item that explains why I pay an extra 94 cents or so every time I buy a gallon of bottled water. Turns out it’s for a good cause:

California’s Redemption Value program, which funds beach clean ups, anti-littering public awareness campaigns and other environmental programs. According to The San Diego Union-Tribune, some believe this fee should be raised so that the state can raise more money to clean up our beaches which are liberally covered with trash — mostly plastics. Raising the fee sounds like a good idea to me along with others presented in the article like getting fast food restaurants to use nonplastic materials, installing trash filters on storm drains and spill-resistant trash cans. But here’s one more: stop littering and maybe we can spend the money on something else.

I really don’t understand people who litter, especially in beautiful places where the behavior is completely out of sync. At what point while you are sitting on the beach with a friend or a loved one enjoying the sunset does your conversation turn from, “Wow, what a wonderful view,” to, “I’m going to chuck my McDonalds food container over the cliff here, would you like me to chuck your beer can?”

— CATHERINE MacRAE HOCKMUTH