How To Handle Littering
What Is Littering, How To Fight It?
Litter is any kind of trash thrown in small amounts, especially in places where it doesn’t belong. With time, it heaps up.
Causes of littering?
Presence of litter in the area – Unfortunate fact is that presence of litter in the area is correlated to intentional throwing of litter. Seeing litter on the ground inspires other to discard their waste in the same manner.
Construction projects – Some percentage of litter originates from construction sites. During lunch break many workers generate litter along with the building waste. This can include pieces of wood, metals, plastics, concrete and many other materials.
Laziness – People tend to be lazy and unwilling to throw trash appropriately and if nobody stops this bad behavior it quickly becomes a habit and a very very bad one at that.
Belief in lack of consequences for littering – Since people perceive there is no consequence for their action when they throw items anyhow and anywhere, it has created the “I don’t care attitude“.
Lack of trash receptacles – Many passengers, pedestrians and people living in urban areas have blamed rampant littering on the lack of public trash cans. Some places have them but they are not enough and some of the existing ones are sometimes poorly managed which leads to overload of the containers.
Improper environmental education – Many people do not know that their various acts of littering negatively impact the environment. As a result, people continue to throw litter anywhere without thinking of their environmental consequences.
Problems of littering
Physical harm or injury to people – Litter can contain objects that can harm or cause physical injury to people namely needles, blades or broken glass. Throwing cigarette butts in the forest can also spark fires and destroy nearby properties, homes or even kill if somebody is trapped in the fire.
Facilitation the spread of disease – Littering can encourage the spread of pest species and diseases. The trash can provide breeding ground for diseases and pass it between animals that eat it. If the trash collects water it may also harbor mosquitoes that are known to spread the deadly malaria disease in tropic regions.
Pollutes the environment – Litter adversely affects the environment. Be it littering along the road, on the streets or by the litter bins, toxic materials or chemicals in the litter can be blown or washed into rivers, forest lands, oceans, lakes and creeks and eventually pollutes the waterways, land, forest areas, soils or aquatic environments.
High clean-up cost –Millions of dollars is spent by municipalities annually in clean-up efforts to reduce littering. This makes littering a huge problem because money that would otherwise be used in progressive development is partly directed to waste management programs.
Negative and fatal impact on wildlife – Plastic litter has often been mistaken for food by both land and marine wildlife such as the herbivores, sea birds, turtles, and fish. When consumed by the animals, they reduce the stomach capacity since they can’t be digested. In the long-term it affects the animals’ eating habit, eventually killing the animal in a very painful matter.
Solutions for Littering
Best way to fight a problem is to be part of the solution. Say NO to littering if you see someone throw trash where it does not belong ask them to pick it up or you pick it up if they don't. Don't let your close ones litter and school them if they do. Trash is very deadly to the environment and every effort to decrease littering is helping a lot.
Litter laws – Putting in place strict litter laws ensures no litter is discarded, thrown or dropped onto private and public places. Such laws work towards prohibiting illegal dumping and littering. The law must also clearly stipulate that dumping is a serious offense, punishable by serving a jail term and fines.
Anti-litter campaigns – Community programs and groups should be created with the sole aim of running anti-litter campaigns to raise awareness. “Keep the environment tidy” programs and community clean up events can be a lot of fun and are sufficiently valuable in spreading the message.
Stop littering signs – Putting up signs is a very creative way of putting a stop to littering. The signs should be placed in high littered areas and those that are prone to littering such as the streets near public transport stations.
Putting up litter bins – Proper measures must be taken by the relevant local authorities to ensure more garbage bins are installed in various areas for effective garbage disposal. Putting up enough garbage bins in town centers, walking routes, public areas, and near bus stops as well as fast-food restaurants offer convenience in the disposal and collection of litter.
Read more on Conserve Energy Future which inspired this topic.