Zone1 Did I litter?

[airplanemechanic]

I had something interesting happen to me a while back.

I was exercising near my drop yard (before I got shot there a few weeks later) and I noticed a pack of cigs thrown on the road in front of a local business. It reminded me of when I was a kid, me and my friend Bill would go looking for packs of cigs to see if any still had one in it. He would smoke them if they did. We thought it was cool.

Well, I leaned down and picked it up and looked inside it and it was empty. I said "This one is for you Bill, it's empty" and tossed it back on the ground where I found it. At that moment a company truck pulled into the driveway where I was standing and stopped and told me they would report me for littering. I told them I didn't put it there, and they said "We watched you." I said "Yea, but it was already here, I put it back." They drove away without further incident.

So here is the question, is that littering? If I pick up litter already on the ground, am I obligated to find a trash can to throw it in or else I'm now guilty of littering? I don't know what the law says about it. I mean if you find trash, pick it up, and then put it back down right where you found it, what are you guilty of?

 

[Moonglow]

Yes, you littered because it held no value to yous...

 

[Mr Natural]

Once you pick up litter it’s yours .

 

[Hellbilly]

Picking up litter, even if it's not yours is always the right thing to do.

 

[Harpy Eagle]

Picking up litter, even if it's not yours is always the right thing to do.

while throwing it back down is always the wrong thing to do

 

[Harpy Eagle]

I had something interesting happen to me a while back.

I was exercising near my drop yard (before I got shot there a few weeks later) and I noticed a pack of cigs thrown on the road in front of a local business. It reminded me of when I was a kid, me and my friend Bill would go looking for packs of cigs to see if any still had one in it. He would smoke them if they did. We thought it was cool.

Well, I leaned down and picked it up and looked inside it and it was empty. I said "This one is for you Bill, it's empty" and tossed it back on the ground where I found it. At that moment a company truck pulled into the driveway where I was standing and stopped and told me they would report me for littering. I told them I didn't put it there, and they said "We watched you." I said "Yea, but it was already here, I put it back." They drove away without further incident.

So here is the question, is that littering? If I pick up litter already on the ground, am I obligated to find a trash can to throw it in or else I'm now guilty of littering? I don't know what the law says about it. I mean if you find trash, pick it up, and then put it back down right where you found it, what are you guilty of?

Not sure if you are legally guilty of littering, but it was kind of a shitty thing to do

 

[shockedcanadian]

You should have put one of your own cigarettes in the pack and placed it back down to keep the game going for the next generation.

 

[airplanemechanic]

You should have put one of your own cigarettes in the pack and placed it back down to keep the game going for the next generation.

I don't smoke. Like I said in the OP, HE would smoke them, not me.

 

[airplanemechanic]

Once you pick up litter it’s yours .

So walking by and doing nothing with it is ok. But picking it up and then putting it back down is littering?

 

[Mikeoxenormous]

I had something interesting happen to me a while back.

I was exercising near my drop yard (before I got shot there a few weeks later) and I noticed a pack of cigs thrown on the road in front of a local business. It reminded me of when I was a kid, me and my friend Bill would go looking for packs of cigs to see if any still had one in it. He would smoke them if they did. We thought it was cool.

Well, I leaned down and picked it up and looked inside it and it was empty. I said "This one is for you Bill, it's empty" and tossed it back on the ground where I found it. At that moment a company truck pulled into the driveway where I was standing and stopped and told me they would report me for littering. I told them I didn't put it there, and they said "We watched you." I said "Yea, but it was already here, I put it back." They drove away without further incident.

So here is the question, is that littering? If I pick up litter already on the ground, am I obligated to find a trash can to throw it in or else I'm now guilty of littering? I don't know what the law says about it. I mean if you find trash, pick it up, and then put it back down right where you found it, what are you guilty of?

Of course you took the time to reach down and pick it up, at that point you could of been a good citizen of the United States, by setting an example of taking that empty pack over to a garbage can and properly put it in the receptacle. I have many times, in disgust for those who litter, and put trash where it belongs, because if someone doesnt do it, then it could end up like this...

The more people walk on by the trash, the more kids get an idea it is okay to litter....

 

[Bleipriester]

So walking by and doing nothing with it is ok. But picking it up and then putting it back down is littering?

Yes, it is. And walking by and doing nothing with it is not, whether you picked it up in the first place or not. You gonna be fined big time. One million or so.

 

[cnm]

So walking by and doing nothing with it is ok. But picking it up and then putting it back down is littering?

None of those are ok. It's as if you have no responsibility to your environment. It's someone else's job.
Which one of these are you?

 

[Carl in Michigan]

Yeah you littered

 

[odanny]

So walking by and doing nothing with it is ok. But picking it up and then putting it back down is littering?

Yes.

 

[Road Runner]

You should have put one of your own cigarettes in the pack and placed it back down to keep the game going for the next generation.

And don't forget the sunglasses.

 

[petro]

 

[badbob85037]

With all the above picking up others litter it's a wonder we have any.

 

[Foxfyre]

I had something interesting happen to me a while back.

I was exercising near my drop yard (before I got shot there a few weeks later) and I noticed a pack of cigs thrown on the road in front of a local business. It reminded me of when I was a kid, me and my friend Bill would go looking for packs of cigs to see if any still had one in it. He would smoke them if they did. We thought it was cool.

Well, I leaned down and picked it up and looked inside it and it was empty. I said "This one is for you Bill, it's empty" and tossed it back on the ground where I found it. At that moment a company truck pulled into the driveway where I was standing and stopped and told me they would report me for littering. I told them I didn't put it there, and they said "We watched you." I said "Yea, but it was already here, I put it back." They drove away without further incident.

So here is the question, is that littering? If I pick up litter already on the ground, am I obligated to find a trash can to throw it in or else I'm now guilty of littering? I don't know what the law says about it. I mean if you find trash, pick it up, and then put it back down right where you found it, what are you guilty of?

While this falls far short of a crime of jaywalking across a totally empty street, I think technically once you pick up the litter, it ethically becomes your responsibility. Do I know of any law saying such? No. But if I didn't discard the cigarette package properly myself, I think I would feel guilty. Unless there was absolutely no place around there to discard it in which case I might just put it back where I found it.

That wasn't very helpful was it.

 

[luiza]

Regardless , great to know how exciting and truly memorable your life seems to be , OP.

Bit like mine( !) . In Lidl a fortnight ago I picked up a brand new pair of Binoculars ,10x50, 120m/1000m , which were just lying on a shelf .
Checked I was not on Candid Camera etc and decided to give them a test run .
Some lazy swine had forgotten to also leave the case. People can be so unthoughtful .

 

[cnm]

Regardless , great to know how exciting and truly memorable your life seems to be , OP.

Bit like mine( !) . In Lidl a fortnight ago I picked up a brand new pair of Binoculars ,10x50, 120m/1000m , which were just lying on a shelf .
Checked I was not on Candid Camera etc and decided to give them a test run .
Some lazy swine had forgotten to also leave the case. People can be so unthoughtful .

Not everyone will be so civic minded as to dispose of Chinese junk.