# People who publicly litter, in broad daylight! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 12, 2021, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-publicly-litter-in-broad-daylight/946263 "2021-07-12T02:08:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2021, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-publicly-litter-in-broad-daylight/946263/21 "2021-07-12T19:07:19Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > When you see a smoker holding a lighted cigarette out a car window, flicking out ash, it’s a virtual certainty that the butt will be discarded onto the road eventually. I once threw a lit butt out the window doing 55 on a busy state highway, and somehow the wind blew it right back in so it landed _inside my shirt collar_. I somehow managed to pull over without hitting anyone else or driving off the shoulder. Yes, that was the last time I ever did _that_. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2021, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-publicly-litter-in-broad-daylight/946263/22 "2021-07-12T20:02:52Z")
I live in an apartment complex, and it never fails to surprise me how people must seem to think the maintenance crew can’t figure out where the butts are coming from! There’s also a unit in an adjoining building that bags their dog’s poop, but they don’t throw the bags away; they just pile them up on the patio. How do people like this live, anyway?!? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2021, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-publicly-litter-in-broad-daylight/946263/23 "2021-07-12T20:06:33Z")
I just remembered this thread I started a while back. I don’t see as many of either, nowadays, but just a couple days ago, I did see one of those floss picks in an unexpected place, which I can’t recall right now but it wasn’t outside a restaurant. > [@Fireball Whiskey mini-bottles and toothpicks with dental floss](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fireball-whiskey-mini-bottles-and-toothpicks-with-dental-floss/843267): > > Why am I starting a Pit thread about these two items? Because it seems I can’t go anywhere without seeing the bottles by the side of the road, and the toothpicks in the parking lot. Doesn’t anyone throw these in the garbage? I kinda sorta understand the whiskey mini-bottles (they want to drink it and don’t want the people they live with to know about it) but floss picks? Just pitch them, mmmmkay? (I’ve probably made a couple dollars off the mini-bottles I’ve picked up while walking in my ne… ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2021, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-publicly-litter-in-broad-daylight/946263/24 "2021-07-12T20:08:14Z")
I am, too. It was a carful of women; I might not have done that if it had been men. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2021, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-publicly-litter-in-broad-daylight/946263/25 "2021-07-12T20:11:09Z")
> [@ekedolphin](#): > > But how do I dispose of them, then? If I tossed a McDonald’s cup that still has some watered-down tea in it, into a trash can, it’d make a mess in the trash bag. Not sure if that’s a whoosh or not, but it’s okay if the inside of a trash bag gets messy. If you really want to dump it out (for example, so someone doesn’t have to lift the extra weight) at least find a sewer or some grass or gravel to dump it so it doesn’t make a sticky mess. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2021, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-publicly-litter-in-broad-daylight/946263/26 "2021-07-12T20:38:45Z")
It’s honestly not a whoosh. I used to work retail; when people dump liquid into trash bags, sometimes the liquid leaks out and causes a spectacular mess. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2021, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-publicly-litter-in-broad-daylight/946263/27 "2021-07-12T20:44:12Z")
The littering/dumping in my area has really gotten out of hand in the last 5 years or so. It’s really depressing, and frankly the amount of crap alongside the freeways, sidewalks and bike paths that I travel has become a huge negative when I consider my quality of life here. And, when I read the _“the world is my ashtray”_ post I had to go around the corner to a spot I walk past 3-4 times a week and take this picture. Hey, it looks like a ready-made place to put cigarette butts, so why not use it? [![](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51308098689_243e266f0a.jpg) ](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51308098689_243e266f0a.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2021, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-publicly-litter-in-broad-daylight/946263/28 "2021-07-12T20:53:28Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Another thing that drives me crazy is all the little doggy poo bags you see hanging off tree branches - you’ve gone to the trouble of actually picking up dog poo, you can’t just carry the bag for ten more minutes til you find a bin? Really??? I’ve never seen that. I _have_ seen poop bags left all over the dang place, but never hanging from trees. I don’t understand it. What, you think it’s gross to walk around with a bag of poop? Don’t have a dog then. What annoys me is people who jog with their dogs and don’t allow their dogs to stop to do their business. I guess because that interrupts the jogger’s run? Then, the dog poops on the run and leaves a trail of poop on the sidewalk. Disgusting! ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2021, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-publicly-litter-in-broad-daylight/946263/29 "2021-07-12T21:24:34Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > What annoys me is people who jog with their dogs and don’t allow their dogs to stop to do their business. I guess because that interrupts the jogger’s run? Then, the dog poops on the run and leaves a trail of poop on the sidewalk. Disgusting! I am not defending this behavior if it is really as described. But, I had an elderly dog that got to the point where his back hurt him enough that he wouldn’t really hunch over to poop any longer. We learned that he pooped best when we were on walks. We would pay attention so we could pick it up rather than leave the trail of poop. So, I always assume that when I see that, it’s an old dog and the owner may not have known. ---
**Author:** ![Capn\_Carl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Capn\_Carl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capn_Carl)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2021, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-publicly-litter-in-broad-daylight/946263/30 "2021-07-12T21:33:25Z")
Karma. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2021, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-publicly-litter-in-broad-daylight/946263/31 "2021-07-12T21:46:43Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > So, I always assume that when I see that, it’s an old dog and the owner may not have known. I’ve seen people doing it, so I know it’s not old feeble dogs. A dog that feeble wouldn’t be jogging! Although I know about the issue with old dogs, I always watch my dog when out because I used to have one who was a stealth pooper. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2021, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-publicly-litter-in-broad-daylight/946263/32 "2021-07-12T21:55:58Z")
> [@Capn\_Carl](#): > > Karma. To be sure. And it could have been much worse. As it was, I did have to explain the small-but-obvious burn on my neck to my parents. (Oh, did I mention I was about 16 at the time?) ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2021, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-publicly-litter-in-broad-daylight/946263/33 "2021-07-12T22:14:48Z")
It’s so bad in my neighborhood. It really has made me not enjoy my walks anymore. The last time I went, I had to step around a man sleeping on the ground using discarded trash bags for a pillow. I was driving my mom somewhere years ago and when we stopped at a red light, she rolled down her window a little bit and threw out the cellophane from a pack of gum or something. My mouth fell open and I know I was less than kind in my reaction. I was just so stunned that she would do that. I guess she isn’t the one that taught me to know better. 😬 ---
**Author:** ![Capn\_Carl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Capn\_Carl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capn_Carl)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2021, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-publicly-litter-in-broad-daylight/946263/34 "2021-07-13T01:31:01Z")
I wish Karma (or in your case, Car-ma!) had burned me like that when I did something stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Capn\_Carl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Capn\_Carl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capn_Carl)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2021, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-publicly-litter-in-broad-daylight/946263/35 "2021-07-13T01:38:19Z")
My friend Dave had a short fuse when he was a young man. He was walking through a parking lot when a man in a car opened his door and dumped his ashtray onto the pavement. Dave walked over, scooped the ashes into his hands, reached into the window, and dumped the ashes in the guy’s lap. Dave walked away while the man cussed and flailed. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2021, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-publicly-litter-in-broad-daylight/946263/36 "2021-07-13T02:20:03Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > > [@ekedolphin](#): > > > > But how do I dispose of them, then? If I tossed a McDonald’s cup that still has some watered-down tea in it, into a trash can, it’d make a mess in the trash bag. > > Not sure if that’s a whoosh or not, but it’s okay if the inside of a trash bag gets messy. If you really want to dump it out (for example, so someone doesn’t have to lift the extra weight) at least find a sewer or some grass or gravel to dump it so it doesn’t make a sticky mess. Or you could just drink it… ---
**Author:** ![carlb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carlb/32/5930_2.png) [@carlb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlb)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2021, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-publicly-litter-in-broad-daylight/946263/37 "2021-07-13T02:48:52Z")
If I were telekinetic, I would do nothing but spend my time flicking cigarette butts back into the cars from which they were tossed. It’s rude and disgusting under the best of circumstances. I used to live in Central Florida where the occasional wildfire was a very real thing; it’s an actual goddamn fire hazard in locales like that. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2021, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-publicly-litter-in-broad-daylight/946263/38 "2021-07-13T08:15:28Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > I’ve seen people doing it, so I know it’s not old feeble dogs. Hey, old feeble people gotta poop too. ---
**Author:** ![Staggerlee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/staggerlee/32/3134_2.png) [@Staggerlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staggerlee)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2021, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-publicly-litter-in-broad-daylight/946263/39 "2021-07-13T10:05:56Z")
Littering does seem like ingrained, automatic behaviour for some people. I’d be interested to know whether litterers genuinely don’t mind the look of a rubbish-strewn street or park, but suspect they just don’t connect that with their own actions. My least-favourite littering trend is young people dropping the metal cannisters from Nitrous Oxide inhalation. Hope they think about that while nursing their dysfunctional bladders! What’s wrong with a nice joint? Youngsters today, etc! ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2021, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-publicly-litter-in-broad-daylight/946263/40 "2021-07-13T15:21:45Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Hey, old feeble people gotta poop too. Yeah, I’ve seen that, too. We have a lot of homeless encampments around here\*…not pretty. \*Not on my block but within a mile or so. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-publicly-litter-in-broad-daylight/946263.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-publicly-litter-in-broad-daylight/946263.md?page=3)