When I was growing up in the sixties, litter on the highways was a topic of national policy. Lady Bird Johnson campaigned against it. Signs on all roads threatened big fines for littering. Yet, shoulders were covered with trash.
Today one will occasionally encounter a "no littering" sign. Occasionally you will see trashy shoulders. But, rarely is litter a subject of public discussion let along political campaigns.
What happened? I don't think the highway maintenance sponsorship programs are responsible. Litter was largely gone before these programs began. If anything, Americans generate more trash while in their cars than in the sixties. When Lady Bird was on the case, McDonald's and KFC had yet to spread across the country. There are orders of magnitude more cars on the roads.
I wonder if air conditioning can account for the change. Americans do not drive with open windows any more, especially on highways. Tossing something carelessly out the window is no longer possible.
Often, technological changes cause changes that cannot be foreseen. Sometimes they are not even seen at the time the changes are taking place, and can only be observed in hindsight.
- J
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