I remember the commercial from my childhood: a Native American standing roadside, a tear rolling down his cheek as he sees the beauty of the landscape stripped away by litter.

That public service announcement, part of the Keep America Beautiful campaign, first aired in 1971.

Its message is as poignant now as it was then. Yet, despite a visual that is difficult for me to watch - of the Native American’s horse walking in water past an old tire and other floating trash - it hasn’t been enough to deter an offense that has cost this country billions of dollars and endangered some of our wildlife and marine life.

State Sen. Mario Scavello, R-40th, has re-introduced legislation to reduce littering across Pennsylvania by increasing fines for the offense.

He introduced a similar bill during the 2015-16 legislative session. That bill, No. 973, secured unanimous approval by the Senate but failed to receive a vote by the House of Representatives prior to the end of the session.

Let’s hope the second time is the charm for Scavello’s attempt at the bill, this one numbered 431.

Currently, fines for littering range from $50 to $300 for a first-time offense and $300 to $1,000 for a second and subsequent offense. Under Scavello’s proposed Senate Bill 431, fines would be increased up to $2,000 for multiple offenses, based on the size and weight of litter.

The measure would also increase fines for tossing trash from vehicles, with heavier penalties in an agriculture security area.

“When you look at all of the trash along our roadways and at illegal dump sites, it’s clear that the current fines are not enough to deter this crime,” Scavello said in a news release after the re-introduction of the Senate bill. “Littering is like graffiti and other acts of vandalism - when people engage in it without fear of punishment, it sends the message that no one cares and leads to more litter.

“Well, people do care. It’s bad for civic pride and bad for the environment, and we should do more to deter it,” he said.

This new House bill was referred to the Transportation Committee Feb. 27.

While I agree the current fines don’t appear to be working as a deterrent, I don’t think only increasing the dollar amounts will be much help.

It’s important to understand why people continue to litter before deciding on a consequence for breaking the law.

Billions of dollars are spent each year - $11.5 billion, to be exact - cleaning up trash that people have tossed onto the streets, roadway and other public places.

Fifty percent of the litter total, according to litteritcostsyou.org, is cigarette butts. Smokers might think the small size of their trash means it will break down easily. In fact, cigarette butts are a giant-sized threat to the environment because they could take more than 10 years to disintegrate.

Nine billion tons of litter ends up in the ocean each year. This trash could be a reason that our marine life is depleting. Many of the endangered animals in the oceans are losing their homes as much as their food sources, according to litteritcostsyou.org, and that is thanks to the contribution of the litter we produce.

Want to guess what the most-often-dumped trash is?

Fast-food wrappers and containers.

City streets and public parks are often loaded with trash receptables. It’s not for lack of finding one. People litter because they’re too lazy to look for, or walk to, a garbage can. They might consider their time too important to even bother.

That last statement offers a possible solution. Why not use this precious time commodity and require community service hours instead of, or in addition to, these increased fines? A punishment has to hurt in some way in order for it to act as a deterrent. If people feel too time-starved to look for a trash can, they certainly will grumble about having to find the time to do community service.

Offenders should be required to don reflective vests, grab some garbage bags and collect trash from the roadways.

This free labor could save our country billions. And if they are forced to clean up the mess they and others have made, they might just think twice the next time they have trash to toss.

Kelly Lutterschmidt

editor

Catasauqua Press

Northampton Press

Whitehall-Coplay Press