A truck driver has called on everyone to "do better" after capturing an appalling scene at a truck stop in Oklahoma.
In the subreddit r/awfuleverything, the driver shared a photo of improperly discarded waste blanketing the side of the road.
"All this trash at the Love's truck stop in Oklahoma. Please use a trash can. There is no reason for this. It isn't good for the wildlife or the planet," they wrote in a Reddit post two years ago. "We can do better than this."
"Good God!" another Redditor wrote, seemingly in shock at the amount of litter.
In the image, users can see what appears to be a significant number of single-use plastic items, and while that would be concerning enough, Oklahoma sadly isn't the only part of the world that is dealing with the issue.
The U.N. Environment Programme has described our planet as "drowning in plastics," with more than 440 million tons being discarded each year. This is happening even as production of the material is increasing.
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Additionally, the vast majority of single-use plastic products are made from dirty energy sources, and less than 10% of the material is recycled.
Fortunately, some companies have begun money-saving programs to encourage consumers to repurpose plastic, which could otherwise release toxins into our drinking water, end up in the stomachs of animals, or even contribute to the spread of disease.
Other bold innovators have turned the waste into beautiful structures that serve practical purposes, while many individuals have also been doing their part, from avoiding plastic grocery bags to adopting reusable water bottles.
It's unclear whether the truck stop in question is still dealing with the astounding amount of trash seen in the OP's photo, but the image was enough for at least one commenter to be moved to action.
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"We should all (anyone in or near Oklahoma) meet up there and collect the trash together," they suggested.
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