5 Reasons why you should pick up trash every day
You might think that simply picking up one piece of trash a day is useless, that it’s going to take much more than that to solve plastic pollution. So what’s the point? Why bother? Well, you might be right. But ask yourself this: would you rather sit at home and complain about the effects of plastic pollution and do nothing about it? Or would you rather think of yourself as the person who is making a difference? I’ve challenged myself to pick up ONE piece of trash a day, and it’s rewarding to feel like I’m part of the solution. Here are 5 reasons why you should start picking up rubbish every day:
It makes you feel better
Picking up litter not only helps the environment, but it can improve your mental health too! Taking the time to stop and pick up rubbish instead of stepping over it makes you feel like you’ve achieved something, and therefore improves your mood. In addition, passerby may notice what you’re doing and give you a nod of encouragement or appreciation, making you feel even better. You may even inspire them to start pitching in! Also, litter picking can distract you from your current worries and force you to be more present moment. It has been proven that the act of searching for rubbish makes it easier for people to connect with the outside world. Forcing yourself to get outside and do the Earth a service by picking up litter is also a great excuse to get outdoors and be more active, which is well known to be good for your mental and physical health.
It makes you feel a part of your community
Pitching in and cleaning up your village/town will make you feel part of your community because you are actively making it better: you’re making it cleaner and nicer to look at. In addition, whilst picking up rubbish by yourself is great, it’s even better if you can get a group of people to do it with you. Taking part in or organizing a group clean up in your local area can help you meet new people, and enhance your sense of belonging. This is especially good if you don’t particularly feel like you have a strong sense of community. The act of participating in a group activity that is helping to improve your local area will not only inspire others to do the same (therefore having a bigger impact) but will also make you feel more at home in your area, because you are helping to make it a better place.
It increases property value on your street
Rubbish on the side of the road or strewn through the park across your street is ugly. Why not help you and your neighbours and help clean it up? You’ll not only be doing the environment a service, but you will improve the cleanliness and overall state of your street, potentially increasing the property value of your home.
It improves your health because the fish you eat someday will be less likely to have plastic remains in it
More research is showing that microplastics are ending up in our bodies. This happens from either breathing air that is contaminated with micro-plastics, or from eating fish that consumed plastic from rubbish in the ocean. So, by picking up rubbish whenever you can, you may help prevent more plastic from reaching the ocean where it will end up inside of a fish (which you may end up eating someday).
Your action is leveraged - a clean place tends to stay clean, and a polluted place tends to get more polluted.
Don’t you think people are more likely to litter if there’s trash everywhere? When a place is clean and clear of rubbish, littering will be more noticeable, and therefore people might think twice about throwing their waste on the ground. So cleaning up your area that you live in is likely to have long standing benefits.
