We love our national parks for the pristine beauty and recreation visitors can enjoy. National parks are accessible, cost-effective, allow bonding experiences with loved ones, and of course, allow you to marvel at nature's wonders, as Great Value Vacations points out.
When there is a lack of appreciation, you can't help but feel disappointed. On Reddit, one disheartened bystander shared their disappointment as they captured footage of wildlife eating litter left by fellow national park tourists.
On the subreddit r/nationalparks, one Reddit user wondered at seeing deer and crow rummaging around to find pieces of trash on the ground at an off-road spot at Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park. They also mentioned seeing bison eat trash at Yellowstone.
"Can we all collectively just pick up the little things on the ground when we visit? I think it will really make a positive difference," captioned the original poster.
It's really concerning to hear about the increasing trash problem in U.S. national parks. A recent report by the 5 Gyres Institute highlighted that single-use plastics are piling up in shocking numbers across these beautiful public lands. In fact, their research found that 66% of the over 8,000 identifiable pieces of trash collected from 30 national park service units contained plastic. This pollution is not only an eyesore but also harmful to wildlife and the ecosystems that these parks are meant to protect.
According to Treehugger, the National Park Service manages over 100 million pounds of waste a year. In Yosemite National Park, over 4 million visitors a year enter the park, according to the National Park Service, leaving behind about 2,200 tons of garbage annually. This led parks such as Yosemite to create the Zero Landfill Initiative, promoting sustainable behaviors from both parkgoers and staff members such as reducing plastic usage with refillable cups.
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According to a report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, global plastic waste is projected to nearly triple by 2060. It estimated approximately half of all plastic waste will end up in landfills and less than 20% be recycled.
Plastics and other debris has been found in other national and state parks across the United States and around the world. The effects of this include damage and loss to biodiversity, as well as polluting waterways.
In finding ways to use our leisure time responsibly, we can enjoy the natural wonders while ensuring its inhabitants and environment remain healthy, such as by reducing our waste.
"Yellowstone was so disappointing for reasons like this," wrote one Redditor.
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