Frustrated hiker shares photo of upsetting discovery on popular trail: 'It now seems common'

An exasperated Redditor recently shared a trend they were seeing on a local hiking path.

"We walk the Eno and often bring a trash bag to pick up trash as we go," they wrote on r/bullcity, the subreddit for Durham, North Carolina.

"It now seems common for people to bag the dog poop and then leave it right there. If you didn't bag it, the poop would be gone in a week. Bagging it means it will stay forever. Picked up 3 dog poop bags along the trail in less than a mile. Makes no sense."

Sadly, this is no isolated incident. Similar trends have been seen in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. While it's unsightly and tacky, there are also material harms at play when plastic bags full of dog poop are left strewn about.

Over a million dog poop bags are used around the world annually, posing a significant plastic waste problem. When left on their own, these plastics shed particles that can contaminate local soil and waterways. When those microplastics find their way into the food we eat, humans can suffer endocrine, immune and reproductive issues.

Feces can absolutely decompose naturally on its own, but it's not without its own risks. The Environmental Protection Agency describes pet waste as a pollutant able to destroy habitats downstream. Animal waste also acts as a vector for a wide range of health risks to people, such as tapeworms, giardia, roundworms, e. coli and salmonella.

Watch now: Giant snails invading New York City?

The most frustrating part of this problem is that biodegradable bags are a perfectly viable option. Reddit commenters backed up the original poster and their frustration.

"When I lived near Sandy Creek Park, we had a neighbor who'd bag her dog's turds and fling them into the woods belonging to Sandy Creek," said one reply. "Basically people are trash."

"People leaving bags along the trail are being lazy and irresponsible," said another community member.

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