Litter bugs

Earth day is almost here...and it makes me think of all the little things people can do that add up to a cleaner place for everyone to live. One thing I don't understand is people who don't recycle...it's really not hard...you throw the things that can be recycled into a different bin....big deal! But so many people can't be bothered...I don't get it.
Here's Kiena.... (notice her latest haircut!)I walk her once or twice a day. I use my newspaper bag/wrapper to pick up after her when we walk. But I also pick up other things along the route.
A few years ago during our Summer Reading Program we had someone from the county come in and present a program about our Waste water Treatment Plant in our county. She talked to the group about ways they could help keep unwanted waste out of the the water system and the river. Anything on the street is ultimately going to end up in the river...grass clippings, animal waste, trash and the number one culprit,cigarette butts. They are everywhere. Ever since I heard the speaker...I can't walk by without picking things up as I walk around the block. (only what fits in my bag...and nothing too gross...) Sometimes I wish I could just ignore what I see...but I just can't...so is you ever see me bending down several times as I move along...it's not that my dog has problems...haha...it's that I feel compelled to pick up the cigarette butts I see lying around. I average 10-20 per trip around the block. Multiply that times 7 and you can see why they are the number 1 problem causing pollution in our river.
Here's a few photos of what I normally find...lots of bottle caps, candy wrappers (especially around Halloween, Valentine's Day, etc...and those kids better watch out...because if I ever catch them....I'm going to give them a piece of my mind! hah), cigarette packs and butts, foam packing materials (probably fall out when the trash gets collected), straws and fast food wrappers. It's a little disheartening...I don't know why people can't just find a trash can!