There may be no better way to celebrate our country’s Independence Day than blowing up a small part of it after pounding several beers.

But as you may have noticed, the morning after the big night reveals a formidable amount of litter.

So this year, take pride in your country, your home, and make plans to help with clean-ups following the party.

Take the time the next day to not only clean up your yard and your neighborhood of the spent husks of bottle rockets and other low-grade ordnance, but take five minutes to pitch in and clean up our public areas.

A good way to do so is to plan a leisurely walk. You could simply walk around the block, or head to the park or the beach. Remember to bring along a garbage bag.

As government budgets are cut and workers are furloughed, there are less resources to clean up our public spaces. In order to relieve some of the pressure, and to ensure the public is still given access to public lands, it may require citizens taking responsibility for themselves.

Many people, however, don’t make a mess on the Fourth of July. They aren’t the ones tossing empties into yards, dumping bags of debris in parking lots or exploding fireworks above the heads of their neighborhoods.

It may be tempting for those to refuse to help out. After all, why should they?

A good reason is because they have to live with the mess too.

If we all donate just a little bit of our day, and space in our own garbage cans, all that will remain of the Fourth of July will be the memories of good times, not the trash washing ashore.