A friend journeyed to Japan early last month, spending two weeks traveling across the Land of the Rising Sun. He was impressed with the cleanliness of the country, and the seeming absence of litter. While taking a “first walk” of the new year the other day — a better form of exercise to replace jumping up and down watching the Fighting Illini and mighty Northern Illinois Huskies win their college bowl games — I remembered his words. An early winter thaw showed what slobs we have become. We have decided to use our roadways as open garbage cans. In this case, there was a trail of trash along this major east-west state thoroughfare in Lake County. Dozens of bottles running the gamut — beer, water, mini-liquor — were left along the side of the road by those who prefer to drink in cars rather than bars. This is a plague not only on the shoulders of our state highways. It makes streets and neighborhoods look trashy. Whatever became of “Keep America Beautiful” or the mantra, “Every litter bit hurts?” City streets and residential neighborhoods are left with the detritus of lazy drivers who decide to toss out their leftovers on the lawns of unsuspecting residents. In a two-mile-or-so stretch, besides the aforementioned bottle collection, I spotted fast-food wrappers from the usual chain suspects, half-eaten food portions, parts of tossed e-cigarette vape kits and more. Much more. It’s not like there aren’t ample garbage bins available in front of grocery, convenience, drug and liquor stores. There’s an overabundance of them. Then there are those kindly folks who during spring, summer and fall volunteer to clean up trash from our highways. You’ve seen the work they’ve accomplished by the garbage bags left in intervals for county and state maintenance crews on the shoulders of the roads. That’s after spending a spare Saturday walking and picking up the junk their fellow Illinoisans have lobbed from their vehicles. Highway litter is similar to that found along the nation’s beaches, according to a tally done by the International Coastal Cleanup groups. In 2023, beach volunteers collected 14.3 million items. Plastics were the overwhelming number of refuse accumulated, from bottles and bottle caps to grocery bags to food containers, cups, plates, straws and drink stirrers. Also up there were cigarette butts, food wrappers, paper cups and plates. Of course, Americans by far are the greatest practitioners of littering, compared to other industrialized nations. In Japan, littering is considered illegal dumping. According to the Environmental Performance Index of 2022, Denmark, Luxembourg and Switzerland were recognized as the cleanest countries in the world when it came to litter. Those caught littering in Japan can be slapped with fines ranging from 5,000 yen, or about $45, or up to 500,000 yen, which translates to $4,500. Repeat offenders could face jail time ranging from a month up to three years. Fines climb higher if litter is discovered within city beautification zones. They take litter seriously there, which is why the streets are neat. The Japanese take their trash with them while driving or out on the town. They dispose of it where it’s supposed to go. Unlike what is found on our suburban streets. Some areas even have surveillance cameras that catch people in the act of littering. Tokyo had a group called the Litter Collecting Samurai, rubbish-conscious individuals who gathered any litter discovered in the capital’s crowded streets and alleys while acting like samurais, the nation’s historical warriors. Singapore also is known for being strict when it comes to littering. Like Japan, it begins anti-litter campaigns with young students while they’re in grade school. In Singapore, first-time offenders who throw small items like cigarette butts or candy wrappers can be fined $300. Like Japan, the city-state takes things like that seriously. Some may remember the 1994 “caning” of an American teen by Singapore authorities after he was found guilty of vandalism. I’m not advocating such draconian measures, but hurling one’s debris from cars and trucks needs to stop. It’s become a nasty habit, like smoking. Perhaps incoming first lady Melania Trump can take a cue from a previous first lady, Lady Bird Johnson, and focus on highway litter. Democrat Johnson promoted the Highway Beautification Act of 1965, of which one of the aims — along with wildflowers, scenic overlooks, limits on billboards and rest stops — was clean roadsides along the nation’s interstate and public highways. For the new first lady, another beautification program would be a good start to a second stay in the White House. Charles Selle is a former News-Sun reporter, political editor and editor.  [email protected] X: @sellenews