Have you ever been walking along in a public place and noticed one of those dental flosser things? The little plastic ones with a handle that you use once then toss? You have? Yes, I thought so. I seem to see them all over the place. It drives me nuts.
I have no problem with people taking their oral
hygiene out of the bathroom with them. Heaven knows, I myself shudder at the
idea of a piece of spinach or chicken stuck between my teeth. I used to write for a company that manufactures a sophisticated dental hygiene product, so I am a true believer
in the importance of frequent flossing.
My problem is: Why do people feel it’s okay to just
drop them any old place? How hard is it to dispose of the little piece of
plastic appropriately? Most public places have lots of trash cans, only steps
away from where these flossers are tossed. A used flosser is not as gross as a
used tissue. Why couldn’t it just be tucked away in a pocket or waistband till a
trash can is accessible?
You can hardly walk through a public parking lot
without seeing one or several of them just lying around. (The parking lot at
White Rock Lake always seems to have dirty diapers and used condoms lying
around, too, but that’s not something I want to discuss in this blog.)
I snapped a photo of a flosser some time ago. Shortly
after that, I started noticing other artifacts that people use for oral care. A
dental tool that the hygienist would use for scaling and planing. A plastic invisible
aligner for teeth straightening. And of course, countless baby pacifiers. See
my photos below.
Maybe I do understand the baby pacifiers. I also see lots of baby socks that got tossed out of strollers, too. But that other stuff? And those millions of flossers all over town?
I just don’t get it.
