One Person’s Trash
“There is no such thing as “away.” Once we throw anything away it must go somewhere.”
Annie Leonard
The lizard was small, its body mottled in gray, brown, and only a hint of green that bloomed to cover its tail and legs. Lizards are common in this area of Florida that I visit during the colder months. They sun on sidewalks and boardwalks. When a pedestrian approaches, they tend to freeze for a second or two before dashing away to hide among the weeds and shrubs.
On this day in mid-April, the morning was still cool though the sun had already begun to warm the top of my head. A few large agama lizards had already scurried ahead of me to hide their bodies in the underbrush, leaving only their bright-red tell-tale tails in view. Encountering the small mottled one wasn’t unexpected. What was less expected and probably shouldn’t have been is what the reptile had chosen to sunbathe on—a white plastic bag lying in the grass near the walkway. Clearly printed on the bag just above the warming lizard’s head were the red-lettered words, “Thank You” and “Have a Nice Day.”
I suppose the lizard was having a nice day. After all, it wasn’t being bothered as it absorbed the sun’s heat atop a piece of humanity’s trash. Usually, when I encounter a plastic bag on a walk, I pick it up. Two things stopped me this time: the lounging lizard and the fact that, because of the design of the walkway, I couldn’t reach the bag.
The image stayed with me as I wended along the edge of the river, and suddenly I started noticing all the detritus of our presence. Empty cups and plastic lids with straws still in them trapped among the rocks. Glass beer bottles and a few aluminum cans washed up beneath a clutch of sea grapes. More plastic bags. And the most ubiquitous piece of rubbish—plastic bottles. By far, our waste, like most of our lives, is petroleum-based.
Seeing the lizard splayed out on a plastic bag made an impression in a way no news story or internet meme could. It was an arresting juxtaposition: this tiny wild creature atop a piece of my garbage. Though I didn’t toss that bag to the ground, it was still mine. It was mine because it is ours. We made it.
Earth Day is here. Let’s pick up some trash together. Check out the #Trashtag Challenge and get involved. And let’s go further. What can we do to reduce, so we’re creating less waste? I’m getting started today—for the earth and her creatures, including her people and one little green-tailed lizard.
“To leave the world better than you found it, sometimes you have to pick up other people’s trash.”
Bill Nye
