Don't be a litterbug | The Salt Lake Tribune

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

With everyone so caught up in climate change, in trying to take land from the federal government, oil drilling, etc., has everyone forgotten a basic we were taught in kindergarten: "Don't be a litterbug"? Everywhere I go, I see garbage.

Whether in a city park, concert, sporting event or parking lot, the amount of garbage left behind disgusts me. I live next to a park, and I can't believe the garbage left after sports games. There are piles of bottles, sacks, candy wrappers, etc., even the occasional used diaper.

After a Fourth of July parade this past summer, a family sitting next to us left all their empty soda bottles and snack wrappers. They managed to carry the items in, what is so difficult about packing it back out? Great example for your kids.

Have we just become lazy, or do we think, "It's not my job; someone else will clean it up"?

The most impactful commercial I saw as a child was of the Native American looking out over the garbage-strewn land with a tear rolling down his cheek. Maybe it's time to bring that Indian back to TV.

Terri Hooton

West Jordan