A hiker has uploaded a photograph to Reddit of a beautiful view on a trail that is stunning in more ways than one — in both positive and negative ways.
The view is incredible, stretching for miles and miles, and greenery packs out the foreground.
However, if you look just a little bit closer, you'll notice the pile of trash that has gathered in the woodland.
"Pretty view but don't look down," they captioned the image in the r/Anticonsumption subreddit, with two additional pictures providing a zoomed-in view of a disturbing amount of litter.
It's massively disheartening, not just because the trash ruined the hiker's shot and probably their experience while trying to breathe in the magnificence of nature, but because of the implications the rubbish will have on the ecosystem.
Aluminum cans will take at least a century to degrade, and single-use plastic bottles take more than 400 years. In fact, the latter is likely to release harmful nano- and microplastics into the surrounding areas and leach chemicals into the soil.
Enjoying a picnic is certainly a fine way to reconnect with the natural world, but leaving trash behind is hugely disrespectful and detrimental to the flora and fauna that call these green spaces home.
Fellow Redditors were incensed by what the picture captures, although some commenters chose to take a positive look at the situation.
"Ya I hate humans," said one, but a Redditor replied, "Humans can cause this, but we can also fix it! Go to your nearest park and pick up trash."
"Organize a clean up," suggested another. "Nothing feels better than taking action, and being with the community."
While trash is disgusting and can affect the future growth of plants and the health of animals, it does present an opportunity to enact positive change. Gathering a group of like-minded people and organizing a park clean-up will help to prevent the damage litter can do, and it may also encourage others to join the righteous cause.
"I have quite a few younger [families] that live on my street," one Redditor began. "I was out walking and started picking up trash. It was really sweet, it inspired the kids and some of the parents to come help us. If I am able to and it's safe enough I just try to do a little clean up wherever I am. We can all play a part even if it's not our mess."
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