Think Before You Throw! Don't Litter

It's safe to assume that the majority of us have littered at least once in our life. We probably never thought about what happens to that gum wrapper or cigarette butt when we throw it out of our car window; maybe it gets washed away or swept up, but our small bit of litter definitely doesn't make a difference right? Wrong. Every time we litter we are contributing to the slow-but-sure degeneration of our planet.

We chose to place our This is Public Health Sticker on a sign for the "Think Before You Throw" anti-litter campaign that promotes awareness of how our actions affect our environment. It's no secret that the streets of Tampa are full of litter and garbage, we can see that everyday driving to and from school. We placed the sticker on a sign near the corner of Bruce B. Downs blvd. and Fowler ave. in Tampa.

This is important to Public Health because it is a major source of urban pollution, and it happens every day. Litter creates an eye-sore for any community, affects the wildlife, clogs the storm water drains, and wastewater collection systems, ultimately affecting our health in a negative way. Not to mention it's expensive to clean up. The funny thing is, that for a problem as huge as the amount of litter and garbage that floods our roads, the solution is simple...Don't Litter! Statistics show that people litter because it's convenient and that they believe someone will pick up after them. If drivers and pedestrians would just "think before they throw" and realize that it isn't anymore convenient to toss your garbage out the window than it is to keep a plastic bag in your car to collect garbage and take it inside to dispose once you get home or to wherever you're going, the Tampa Bay area would be a lot cleaner. Campaigns such as this are great visual reminders to keep ourselves in check when driving and walking, and to be conscious of how our actions affect our community.

By: Mohammed Elshaer, Gurtej (TJ) Walha, Samantha Restivo, Alex Moore-Brocato, and Zachary Senter (photographer)