Trashing the Trail: How Littering Hurts Nature

In western Massachusetts, Berkshire County has many amazing views of nature. From the tops of the Berkshire Mountains to the bottom of the valleys. From the bright green leaves in the spring and summer to the vibrant oranges, reds, and yellows in the fall. From the running rivers to the crystal clear lakes. The natural landscapes in the Berkshires have amazing views but they can be harmed by many things, the one most directly impacting and impacted by the community is littering. Littering is a visible problem in the Berkshires, not just in the cities but out on the trails, and it’s hurting the environment and the animals that live there.

While walking on any one of the many trails in the Berkshires, one of the main things that we see is trash. Litter can be seen on the trails, in the lakes, and in the forests. The main things that we see are single-use plastics, like wrappers, alcohol bottles, and fishing waste. Michelle Mason, a teacher at our school, Taconic High School, and an avid hiker, sees these as well. She said that she mostly sees “wrappers, like candy wrappers, plastic bottles, beer cans, and nips.” Ms. Mason also noted that the most concentrated areas of litter are seen at the beginning of hiking trails and not deeper in the woods. All of these damage the environment in many ways, from the plants and animals living there, to the humans who eat those plants and animals, and to the beauty we see in the environment.

Wrappers may not seem like a big problem because of how small they are, but that is the main reason why they are such a major problem. Wrappers are not only single-use plastic that can introduce microplastics, super tiny pieces of plastic that are usually not visible to the human eye, into the food chain, but their small size can cause animals to choke on them and die if eaten. If the animal lives after eating a wrapper the microplastics can cause biomagnification to happen. Biomagnification is when toxins get introduced into the bottom of the food chain. As those smaller animals are eaten, the amount of toxins in animals higher up the food chain accumulates and increases. They also don’t decompose very quickly, so if you leave the plastic in the forest it will not decompose for a long time. If you leave a small wrapper in the forest and think that it will not impact the environment, think again.

It was a bright cool, sunny day in fall and we wanted to go on a hike. We went to the Shaker Mountain trail, in the Berkshires, to see the beautiful reservoir, but immediately as we walked in beneath our feet we saw a candy wrapper in the grass.

It's not just the single-use plastics in the woods. We also see things that can be reused or maintained, like bowls and plastic water bottles. These can have a really big impact on the environment because they can take 200 years to decompose and animals, especially small rodents, like to chew on them. The amount of plastics that are introduced into the environment accumulates rapidly already and bigger pieces, while less common, will build up for many years to come.

As we begin our hike on the Shaker Mountain Trail, we start to see the vibrant colors of the changed leaves and the crunch of the leaves on the ground. But out of the corner of our eyes we see a bright red plastic bowl, sticking out like a sore thumb.

Dog bags and other non-native animal waste are also things that we see a lot in nature. Some people take their dogs on hikes with them and when their dog poops they take a dog bag and scoop up the poop and then just leave the bag there. They are not only gross for us to see but there are also many negative effects that they can have on the environment. First off, the plastic bags that most people use are not biodegradable and can take hundreds of years to decompose. Secondly, dog poop can take a long time to decompose in the soil and can cause new bacteria and parasites to be introduced into the ecosystem, which can cause the animals in the ecosystem to die. The poop can also get into the water supplies and cause toxic algae blooms, which can impact not only the animals there but also people who rely on that water supply. Dog bags can not only impact the environment they are left in but also the people around them.

Further in on our walk we pass a person taking their dog on a walk, which is normal for the Shaker trail. Then, we see the bright green foliage surrounding the trail and right next to the plants, there is a dog bag filled with poop from the dog we just passed.

We also see a lot of disposable lighters and vapes. Both of these are single-use plastics filled with chemicals that can damage the environment. Not only do they introduce microplastics into the environment, but they also introduce dangerous chemicals into the environment that can kill animals. With the lighters, they introduce lighter fluid into the environment, which under the right circumstances can cause a fire to start in the woods, which can destroy the ecosystem and the people living around that forest. This happened in November of 2024 in Great Barrington, a town in the Berkshires, where a large fire burned 1,670 acres of forest and threatened many homes. Vapes, or e-cigarettes also introduce chemicals into the environment; the damage they cause is different from lighters. The chemicals that they introduce are very harmful to the animals and if inhaled can cause cancer, breathing problems, and many other problems that might not have happened if they were not left in the woods. Leaving lighters and vapes in the woods can cause irreversible damage to the environment and the animals living there.

After that we kept walking. We started to see piles of rocks surrounding the trail that looked like they have been broken and smoothed by all of the rainfall they have seen. Sticking out in the middle of the pile there is a lighter that is halfway filled with lighter fluid.

Another one of the main things that we see in the woods are alcohol bottles, such as nip bottles, aluminum cans, and glass bottles. Nips are especially prominent here in the Berkshires. The microplastics, from the bottles, can also cause a lot of damage to the animals. If they are in glass bottles animals could cut themselves on it and aluminum cans are toxic to animals, as aluminum is not naturally found in their environments. All of these if left in the woods can cause damage to the animals on their own but this is indicative of another problem too, addictive substances left in the environment. While it is less likely, animals could drink it, which could lead to many health problems or addiction. Another more common addictive substance that animals frequently ingest is cigarette butts which can lead to addiction, nicotine poisoning, organ failure, and death for the animal. According to the National Audubon Society, birds are particularly susceptible to them and have been recorded feeding cigarette butts to their chicks.

As we continued to walk we reached our final destination: the Shaker Reservoir. It is a beautiful sight to see. The bright blue water that looks like to goes down forever, surrounded by a ring of trees, that looks like a barrier protecting it from the outside world. As we looked at a bluish flower right next to it was a broken nip bottle.

The last main thing that we see is trash in lakes, specifically trash from fishing. Most of the time we see things like broken lines from fishing poles and bobbers. While these might not seem that harmful, they usually still have a hook attached to them, which can get lodged into a fish and never come out. The fish would have to have that hook attached to itself for the rest of its life. The fish can also swallow the hook, which can cause damage to the gills, eyes, or even internal organs, which can be lethal to the fish. If the fish is eaten with a hook lodged in it the hook could then affect larger pediters too, including birds and other land predators.

While people think that littering in public might not have a large impact on the environment, things as small as a candy wrapper can have drastic effects on the environment. They can kill animals in the environment and get into water supplies. Not only does trash impact the animals there it also diminishes the beauty of the environment. When you are out for a walk in nature you don’t want to see trash all over the place. You want to spend time in nature away from the influence of society and be in quiet nature, but the trash limits your ability to enjoy the quiet.

While we walk around the reservoir taking in the calmness of the forest and feeling the tranquility of being alone we spot a bright red thing in the middle of the reservoir. As we looked closer we saw that it was a fishing bobber left in the water.

In Massachusetts, where the Berkshires are located, many organizations and laws are trying to help stop littering. Keep Massachusetts Beautiful is one of the major organizations that helps with the cleanup of litter. They schedule cleanup days throughout the year for people to get involved in and last year they cleaned up 210,248 pounds of trash across cities in Massachusetts. There are also state and municipal fines if you are caught littering. Littering can either be a civil or a criminal violation. In a civil violation, you will have to pay $20-100 and in a criminal violation, you will have to pay $5,000 for your first offense and $15,000 for your second offense.

The main thing you could do to help is to pick up trash and throw it away. That small act can positively impact the environment. You can also not litter in the woods and possibly talk to people about not littering to help solve the problem.

So, what will you do to help?