A Reddit user shared a frustrating image of the aftermath of a large event held in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Describing the sight, the original poster said: "The frequent events, concerts, and festivals are a big part of why I love living in St Pete. However, there is often a large amount of trash leftover in the parks and floating in the bay after these events."
The commenters shared the poster's frustrations. One said, "It's ridiculous that this is allowed to happen." Another pointed out where most of the litter will end up: "I do wonder if it's worth having that large of an event there since waste is inevitable and the ocean is inevitably going to absorb a lot of it."
The discussion brings up an important point about the downsides of hosting major events, like concerts, marathons, and parades. While such events bring enjoyment to attendees and boost the coffers of the cities that host them, they do generate vast amounts of waste. All too often, that waste is carelessly discarded.
The waste left in the wake of a big event looks terrible and feels even worse for the local wildlife caught up in it.
An estimated 100,000 marine animals are killed by plastic ingestion or entanglement in the ocean every year, per Earth.org. Similarly, mammals on land also suffer from the effects of plastic consumption. Even when waste is disposed of properly, it remains a problem, as much of it still ends up in landfills.
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Other comments focused on possible solutions to the problem. One popular sentiment was putting the responsibility for waste disposal on the event organizers: "The event organizers should be fined for the cost of removal x10. Put it in the contract and make sure they don't allow this."
Another commenter suggested taking local action. "I'd like to challenge you to one day a week bringing along some gloves and a garbage bag and picking up some litter. … We simply cannot rely on the city to do it all."
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