GoJaguars wrote on Mar 20
th, 2009 at 3:01pm:
But Ive seen the way smokers behave. Almost all toss out their butts left and right, even when theres an ashtray 2 feet from them (whether it be in a car, or outside a building) Many think, oh its just one bit of trash, its not going to do anything, but if you multiply that behavior by the amount of people who do it, and then times it by how many times a day they do this, it adds up to a whole lot of trash fairly quickly.
Whats worse is thats how grass fires start. And in drought season thats very dangerous. A person could lose their house, belongings, pets, family members, everything! All while the cig tosser gets off scott free, clueless, and will continue their thoughtless behavior for more years to come.
Also, people dont realize that its not grass fires. Depending on what speed the vehicle is traveling, it could very easily enter another car. And dont say "its their fault for tailgating." I have watched a toss cig fly and bounce off several cars, even ones that weren't even in their lane. I own a convertible and I have already found cigarette burns on blankets I keep in my back seat. I dont smoke, and those who do, I dont allow to smoke in my car. Where did they come from? What if my interior caught fire! Whod replace that? Not to mention Id be driving, whod replace my car when I crash it out of panic? What about the other vehicles I ran off the road during the panic? What about their families? No one ever seems to think how every little thing can effect others in a huge way.
Quote:People need to take pride in their town. Dont Mess With Texas!
Funny you should bring this up. in the 90s, on Wichita Trail (which connects to Scenic Rd, they filmed a Dont Mess With Texas ad. This was back when there were long prairies instead of neighborhoods.
Big offenders should be reported to the police, but if you just see a tosser (cig, small wrapper, etc.) you can report them here.
http://dontmesswithtexas.org/report-a-litterer.phpBut make sure its not gum though, I dont consider it littering if gum (without a wrapper) is tossed onto grass or soil. It biodegrades fairly quickly, and wrapping it up and throwing it away in the trash just adds up to more non recyclable waste.
The Texas Department of Transportation spends $37 million a year in state tax dollars picking up roadside litter alone. Think about all the road improvements that money could have been used for. Think about how high your taxes already are. We could all live in a clean environment with lower taxes, and other issues paid for if people would just take responsibility and pick up after their own selves.