One has to wonder if some of the dopes who are dumping trash, toxic waste and even animal remains in public school trash bins have any idea what they're doing.

Do you suppose these callous litterers have bumper stickers on their cars proclaiming how much they love the 'aina?

As reported by Eloise Aguiar, cases of illegal and inconsiderate dumping on school grounds have been increasing in recent years. This is a senseless and wasteful use of public property.

The counties have well-established procedures for getting rid of waste, from regular garbage through more hard-to-dispose items such as mattresses, old appliances and old paint cans.

Yes, doing it the right way might take a bit more effort or time, but not all that much.

And consider this: Once the stuff is tossed into the Dumpster, it is only out of sight and out of mind for the person who dumped it. The schools must still deal with the mess, often at considerable cost.

Your old junk becomes a burden for the school, which would much rather spend its money on textbooks.

It's doubtful that many people inconsiderate enough to put this mess in the hands of the schools will be swayed by an editorial. But the rest of us can do something.

No need to be a vigilante. But if you see someone using school trash facilities for their own purposes, let someone know. This is a problem we all have a role in solving.