EDITORIAL: What a bunch of garbage

We live in a time where people can be (and are) incredibly opinionated.

It rarely matters what the topic of conversation is, chances are you can find two or more viewpoints on it that can result in disagreement.

In the case of dumping your household garbage in the woods though, I think most of us (at least here in Shoshone County and North Idaho in general) have the same consensus; it needs to stop.

After the Shoshone News-Press (SNP) published a story on illegal dumping on Hord’s Ranch Road near Wallace, we have been inundated with other stories of garbage in the wilderness from several of our readers.

Some of these stories involved private property, which is not what this editorial is addressing (although, dumping garbage and other eye-sores onto your front lawn probably isn’t something you should make a habit of. Local law enforcement has been stepping up blight patrols lately, so it could cost you).

But other stories described junk piles in several remote areas of the county that are only wilderness.

There are no excuses for this.

Dumping garbage into the woods or even leaving trash in areas that are frequented for outdoor activities is simply irresponsible and lazy.

Unless you are the person dumping the trash, there are no positives to chucking garbage into the woods.

Illegal dumping negatively affects everyone and everything that comes across it.

On the environmental side, standard household waste can drastically hurt an ecosystem.

Injuring/poisoning animals, polluting water sources, creating fire/flood risks, and generally disrupting a natural habitat can occur.

This disruption can/will ruin an area of its natural beauty and take away the reason why humans would want to visit it.

Speaking of humans in the woods, who can honestly say that they are planning an outdoor excursion to check out that new pile of garbage up at the campsite?

In addition to simply being an eye-sore, illegal dumping can harm humans in the same ways it can harm wildlife.

Abandoned appliances such as refrigerators or washing machines also could pose a threat to a curious child looking for adventure.

On top of that, the economic repercussions are serious.

Since much of the mining industry left the Silver Valley decades ago, one of the main selling points to bring people and money to our area has been the amazing wilderness that surrounds us.

The Kingston/Enaville area on the North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River is arguably the busiest and most frequented camping area in North Idaho during the spring and summer.

Every year locals tell horror stories of the massive amount of waste left behind by floaters and campers.

These piles of garbage are not going to encourage anyone to come back.

Some would argue that this mess is left by those not from the area, but even in terms of locals, this is our home and we have a responsibility to keep it clean; so let’s not add to the problem.

A humorous, but spot on, point made in last Saturday’s article “Talking trash” by County Commissioner Mike Fitzgerald was that those who illegally dump their garbage are mostly likely spending more money in gas and time to drive into the backcountry than they would if they just went to the local transfer station.

Open seven days a week (barring federal holidays), the county transfer station accepts almost any type of material and “nine times out of 10,” it won’t cost you a dime.

“Going green” and other Eco-friendly movements are one of those hotly debated topics (once again, especially here in Shoshone County and North Idaho) that everyone has a perspective on.

But whether you are in favor of the movement or you are skeptical of it, this aspect of taking care of the environment is a no-brainer.

We are not talking about installing wind turbines, setting up solar panels on our roofs, or replacing plastic bags at the store; we’re talking about the simple concept of not discarding waste where you live.

So whether you missed garbage day and you’re looking to ditch some trash, or you are just a floater on the river looking to tip-back some cold ones and catch some rays; do as the Boy Scouts do and “leave no trace.”