It’s no doubt that littering not only wrecks the environment but creates an unsightly, costly amount of work for someone else. There are those out there that will see litter while taking a stroll in a park and keep walking, and those that will be proactive and take the litter and dispose of it correctly. Though this should be the job and consequence of the person generating trash in the first place, in many cases, they simply don’t care. It is the select few people that go out of their way to pick up the litter of someone else that truly make a difference in the environment. If you can become that person, the environment will love you for it. If everyone picked up a few pieces of trash in their daily routines, the environment would be a cleaner, more appealing place.
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Consequences Of Litter
Littering has a whole host of consequences and negative downfalls for the environment and the population. The government employs people for the sole purpose of cleaning up cities, and this includes picking up someone else’s litter. Because money is invested into something that could be so easily avoided, it is tax dollars that could be spent elsewhere. Litter attracts harmful pests like mice and other rodents. It can also attract larger animals like bears. Some nature documentaries include segments on the harmful effects of litter. They will often show birds choking on pieces of plastic, fish stuck in cans, and other disturbing images. Small pieces of litter can also potentially be ingested by children. Trash scattered everywhere is one heck of an eyesore and can even make a community feel unsafe. (1)
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Litter Is A Chain Effect
Litter in communities and neighborhoods has kind of a chain effect for people. If one walks into a litter-laden community and sees everyone around them littering, they are more likely to have the same mentality. On the flip side, it also works when one goes into a clean community and sees people conscientiously picking litter up. (2) The chain effect appears to be contagious in a way. This same chain effect can also hurt humans in the way that litter can contaminate groundwater, clog stormwater drains, and lead to flooding. But not many would give it quite that much thought when they are tossing their McDonald’s bags out their car window.
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Monetary Costs Of Littering
In the United States alone, litter clean up is reported to be around $11.5 billion per year. Although visible roadside litter is down by 61% since 1969, it is still a huge problem. The majority of homeowner’s state that the assessment on their home is lower if the neighborhood is littered. Sixty percent of property appraisers lower the value of a home if it is littered nearby. Other economic struggles from litter include lost revenue in tourism, vehicle/boat repair, ecosystem restoration, injury to wildlife, and human health. (1) There’s an estimated 270 million tons of plastic waste in the ocean and over 1 million birds and 100,000 sea mammals die through direct contact or becoming stuck or trapped by it. (3)
So, next time you’re at the beach, at a park, in a parking lot, or really anywhere – take a few seconds to dispose of trash where it belongs.
*Article originally appeared at Healthy Holistic Living. Reprinted with permission.
