I started picking up trash during the pandemic. There’s no big epiphany as to why or how it started. Maybe I began picking up litter during my walks because I do some of my best thinking while cleaning up. And there was certainly a lot to ponder throughout the lockdowns, quarantines, and social distancing.

It was casual at first. During my 2-to-3-mile walks on the trail near my home, on several occasions if I spotted a discarded bottle, wrapper, or container, I would pick it up, and…