Preventing Litter

You don’t have to search far to find litter. Unfortunately, litter can still be found quite readily in our neighborhoods, communities and natural spaces. While research indicates that visible roadside litter has decreased by about 61 percent since 1969, it is still a significant problem. A portion of this problem is the more than 51 billion pieces of litter that land on U.S. roadways each year. That’s 6,729 items per mile. There are significant, tangible costs to this litter:

  • Litter cleanup costs the U.S. almost $11.5 billion each year.
  • Community, economy and quality of life suffer. Everyone agrees on this: litter is ugly. The presence of litter in a community takes a toll on the quality of life, property values, and housing prices. A Tennessee survey found that 62% of people say that litter affects the way other people view their communities. According to PennDOT, numerous accidents occur every year by vehicles swerving around litter.
  • Litter has real environmental consequences. Weather, traffic, and animals transport litter into gutters, lawns, alleyways, and parking structures. Debris can be carried through storm drains into local waterways, and most likely will find its way into our coastal habitats and oceans. The most dramatic account of damage caused by litter is the 1998 floods in Bangladesh where 57% of the land area was flooded. Although flooding is common in this low-lying country, 1998 was particularly bad and, anecdotally, exacerbated by litter that clogged some of the drainage structures.

Why people do it

Research and experience show that litter is the result of individual choice to be careless in the handling of personal waste. More than 80 percent of individuals believe that littering is wrong. However, research shows that nearly one in five, or 17 percent of all public disposals were littered with 81 percent of this littering being intentional, involving flicking, flinging, or dropping trash. When surveyed, the litterers did not feel a sense of personal responsibility for the cleanliness of the parks, walkways, beaches, and other public spaces. Instead, there was a belief that someone else will pick up after them. Cigarette butts represent the vast majority of littering – for both the amount of material littered as well as the percentage that are improperly discarded. Following cigarettes, food remnants and their accompanying wrappers – as well as beverage containers – represent the next most frequently littered items.

Litterers are reluctant to litter a clean environment, but do not suffer those same qualms with an already littered area. Meaning, once litter is on the ground it attracts more litter, whereas a clean community discourages littering.

Preventing it

We all have a responsibility to prevent litter. Our individual disposal choices are often the example which others, particularly young people, chose to follow. Setting positive examples on how to properly dispose of waste will ensure that litter decreases in the future. If having a litter-free community is important, than individuals need to take a stand against litter.

Each person must accept responsibility for their actions and influence the actions of others around them at home and in the community at large. Start with these actions:

  • Commit not to litter. Ever.
  • Remind others not to litter and explain why littering is a bad thing.
  • Get a litter bag and pick litter up if you see it. Dispose of full litter bags appropriately.
  • Volunteer in your community for organized litter cleanup events.
  • Commit to less formal litter reduction strategies. Reverselitter.com recommends “ten on Tuesday” which encourages everyone to take responsibility by picking up ten pieces of trash or recyclables every Tuesday.

Continue reading here: Recycling Paper

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Readers' Questions

  • lillian
    How does reecycling prevent litter?
    8 months ago
  • Recycling prevents litter by reducing the amount of waste that gets discarded improperly. Here are a few ways recycling helps prevent litter:
    1. Proper disposal: When items are recycled, they are collected and processed in designated recycling facilities instead of being thrown away. This ensures that the materials are disposed of properly and don't end up as litter on the streets or in natural environments.
    2. Reduced landfill waste: Recycling reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills. When landfills become overloaded, there is a higher risk of litter as the waste can overflow or be blown away by wind. By recycling, less waste goes to landfills, reducing the chance of litter accumulation.
    3. Education and awareness: Recycling initiatives often involve educating individuals about the importance of proper waste disposal and the environmental impacts of littering. Increased awareness can encourage people to be more conscious of their waste habits and to dispose of items in recycling bins instead of tossing them on the ground.
    4. Clean streets and public spaces: With more recycling options available and proper waste management practices in place, clean streets and public spaces become a priority. When people see cleaner environments, they are more likely to be motivated to dispose of their waste responsibly and avoid littering.
    5. Recycling incentives: Some recycling programs offer incentives such as money or discounts for participating. This motivates people to recycle and decreases the likelihood of littering, as they see value in properly disposing of their waste.
    6. Overall, recycling reduces waste, promotes responsible waste disposal, and helps maintain cleaner surroundings, ultimately preventing litter from accumulating in our communities.