To the editor,

Throwing garbage out of your car window undeniably affects animal life in Wareham in ways of habitat destruction, health, and animal life cycle. People don’t really think when they’re disposing their coffee cups, cigarette butts, and scratch tickets, but the animals in the area are aware of the damage littering causes when their lives are in critical danger.

Animals are at the most risk for many health problems due to the littering in town. We saw items such as plastic bags which can choke small critters. Other choking hazards include bottle caps, plastic six-pack rings and Styrofoam. There were dozens of glass bottles which can break and cut squirrels running along the ground.

Even on the ocean or nearby beaches, birds will pick up shiny pieces of plastic and feed them to their chicks. These bits of plastic are too much to be disintegrated in their small stomachs and will collect until they starve.

When you mess with the habitat of an animal, you are toying with that creature’s life cycle. Turtles can’t get onto beaches to lay their eggs and this is why so many turtle species are in danger.

We can all participate in community cleanup days such as the ones held on the last weekend of May by reducing the amount of trash piling on the sides of our streets and ultimately help save the animals in this town. But we can also vow to ourselves that we will not continue to litter. Please remind those around you about the damage that this does and the lives that it hurts.

Austin Sthamer, Dana Maniglia, Olivia Naples-Monast, Tieyanna Yancey, Sean Fagan
Mr. Craig Berriault’s AP Environmental Class - Wareham High School