Whether it’s empty cans on the trees or in the ditches, or slushie cups on the roads and trails, litter is a big problem in Mount Currie. Everyone knows this, and if you don’t know—what are you doing? 

One major reason our land is covered in litter is that children, teens, and even adults leave their garbage behind. I can only speak from personal experience, but it seems to me that it’s mainly the teens who don’t care to pick up after themselves. One day, on my way to the store, I noticed a big pile of litter over by the rec center where young teens (like myself) hang out every day at lunch. Seeing all the garbage upset me quite a bit, so I began picking it up. It’s sad that people could be so careless about a hangout spot. 

Litter affects our land a lot. It affects plant growth, wild animals, household pets, and nearby rivers. It pollutes our water and gets ingested by salmon and other fish, which isn’t good for Indigenous people, since salmon is a very big part of our culture.

 Garbage also impacts other local animals, including our beloved furry friends we care for dearly. Wild animals like bears, deer and birds scour our whole territory for food. If there’s empty food wrappers or pieces of plastic lying around, they may eat it, which can cause them to become ill. The same thing can happen for cats and dogs. As you may know, a lot of people in Mount Currie allow their dogs and cats to roam around freely outside—so it’s up to all of us to ensure they’re not getting in to carelessly-disposed-of garbage.

There are many ways we can prevent litter. First, we need to teach kids and teens about the importance of picking up after themselves. Kids need to be educated about it so they don’t become selfish adults who will just dump their garbage everywhere in rivers or out their car window. 

But we also need better infrastructure. Currently, there are only public trash cans at the store, the recreation building, the school, and the health centre. We can teach kids about the importance of picking up after themselves all we want, but if there isn’t a place for them to dispose of their litter, we will keep seeing it on the ground. Having more trash cans and recycling bins around the town would help prevent litter from being scattered all over the roads and lawns. 

My last idea to keep our land free from litter is to launch a volunteer service for people who want to help pick up trash. When I was younger, I always saw this old-ish guy walk around with a trash picker and a garbage bag. He would walk around our community picking up litter. I would love to help clean up the community and keep our land nice and clean, and I’m sure others would, too. If we can make it a paid position, that would definitely also motivate people to clean up more.

Litter is an obstacle every creature on Earth has to deal with every single day, so it’s important for us to talk about it. If we don’t begin to deal with this issue now, it will only escalate. Kids must learn to pick up after themselves, as do teens and adults. If you see garbage on the ground, think about picking it up to help the environment just a little bit. Every little thing matters.

This article was written by Marshall James, and was first published in the Pique newsmagazine issue 30.24 on June 16, 2023.

Image by Attila Lisinszky on Unsplash