As we were walking through those woods over we noticed the other hikers. We saw them drop the trash so we know it was and should be consequences for blatant littering.

With all of the news about pollution, it's hard for me to believe people still litter -- especially on military installations.

We are held to a higher standard -- right? NCOs lead the way -- right? One team, one fight -- right? Service members and Department of Defense civilians live by the Army Values -- right?

Wrong.

Littering happens on Fort Leonard Wood.

Every day I see bottles, cans, fast food bags and other garbage on the roadside.

Why, or even more importantly, how can someone just toss trash out of his or her vehicle, or just drop it on the ground without a care? It is beyond me.

The effects on our environment and wildlife are devastating, according to several online sources that document annual waste totals and decomposition rates of different common materials.

Here is a combined summary for your situational awareness:

Plastic items can take up to 1,000 years to decompose in landfills.

Those plastic grocery bags we stash inside of more plastic bags can take 10 to 20 years to decompose, and plastic bottles take 450 years.

Americans alone toss out as many as 33 billion plastic bottles in a year.

The U.S. sees more than 18 billion disposable diapers thrown away each year. They can take 550 years to decompose in landfills.

Aluminum cans take 80 to 200 years in landfills to completely decompose.

Styrofoam never decomposes -- ever.

And here is my favorite -- cigarette butts.

I quit more than 22 years ago. When I did smoke, I did not drop my butts on the ground or throw them from my car.

Explanation:

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