Litter has become an increasingly visible issue throughout Santa Clarita, from food wrappers on roads to water bottles in parks and washes. Trash is no longer just an eyesore but it is also an environmental issue that needs our attention as a community. Santa Clarita is a city with many open spaces and trails. Trash doesn’t just harm them visually but environmentally as well. Trash can harm wildlife through the city and can even flow into the river and end up ruining other cities as well. Litter also results in your taxpayer dollars having to be spent on cleanups when we could simply prevent it from the beginning.
One major cause for litter is convenience culture. Things like single-use plastics overflowing trash cans and no promotion toward the issue cause people to not think twice about littering. While individual responsibility is important, the city can also take steps to help keep people from littering to begin with. This includes having more trash cans in the open, especially in high-traffic areas like bus stops and shopping centers and in wildlife areas like parks and trails.
Education is another important step to solving the problem of litter in Santa Clarita. Having the public be aware of the issue can be one of the biggest steps toward a cleaner city. Many people don’t think about littering because they aren’t told about the issue. If people were actually told about what that one bottle could do to the environment and wildlife, they would think twice about throwing it to the street. Having local events can help spread awareness for the issue along with having it promoted in schools. Children like to tell their parents about what went on in their class and word will spread.
Litter is not an unsolvable problem and it is very preventable. Working together as a community by increasing awareness and availability to help, I know it is possible to lower the amount of litter in Santa Clarita and make this already beautiful city even nicer.
Myles Orozco
Canyon Country
