How to Stop the Littering

Nothing attracts litter more than litter. What do many people who walk into a building, step onto a bus, walk around a fair, drive a car, head to their office, go into a mall, wait on a train platform, stand by a dock, walk by construction, or travel to a restaurant have in common? Chances are they will litter. Whether it's cigarette filters; food wrappers; pop tops; bottles; glass; cans; food utensils; condiment packets; fast food bags; newspapers; or bus transfer cards, somebody has dropped litter with no intentions of picking them up. "No Smoking" signs reside in apartment buildings, entrances to buildings, certain sides of restaurants, on train platforms, on buses, and in bathrooms.

According to Keep America Beautiful, Incorporated, people who don't consider themselves to be littering even leave cigarette butts behind. Many have watched people stand by the bus stop smoking a cigarette and dropping the butts onto the ground, without smashing it, to hurry onto the bus. If not that, people have been in cars where the passengers or drivers hang their arm out of the car to empty ashes onto the street.

Not only are humans affected by litter, but so are animals such as dogs, birds, and fish who try to feed off of litter. Stray dogs come along and pick up stray litter which could be contaminated. When thunderstorms shift garbage into sewers and big bodies of water, fish are introduced to the litter. Birds are always on the prowl for stray food. Global Warming affects our environment, the people, and the animals.

Some of the best ways to stop the litter from cluttering up our home (Earth) is to help clean up. When smokers get ready to light up that cigarette, make sure he/she is standing next to a place where they can dispose of it properly. Disposing of cigarettes near motor vehicles is dangerous. What if that bus has a gas leak? The cigarette that was so heavy in your hand may endanger a lot of peoples' lives. Smokers should also use their ashtrays when smoking cigarettes. After all, that's the primary reason that car manufacturers make ashtrays and even more reasonable when the ashtrays can be pulled out. Throw away food utensils, condiment packets, bottles, cans, etc. in the restaurant garbage cans, office garbage cans, or sidewalk garbage cans. In metropolitan areas especially, there are usually garbage cans on every other block at least to maintain the litter. It won't hurt to hold the garbage in your hands that extra block.

If you are traveling on long road trips, empty your car out when you get gas, or keep a car litterbag inside so you can dispose of everything all at once. Respect other peoples' homes by not leaving your trash in front of their homes as well. They want litter in their grass about as much as you do. No one wants their house to be as polluted as the outside streets are, but the streets are part of the Earth. The Earth is the place where we live. And if the homeowners can't keep litter from dirtying our residencies, then who will?