The American Littering Epidemic: Not so Beautiful

One of my major pet peeve is littering. We pride ourselves for being America the Beautiful but what actions are we taking to remain that way? Although there are many solutions to eliminate littering, it seems that "littering persists and society is resigned to the fact that we have "no choice" but to settle for a littered environment." http://www.stoplittering.com.

This epidemic is prevalent in America and threatens our beautiful country and environment on several levels. One prevailing problem is "not everyone agrees on what is litter, especially organic matter and pet droppings"http://www.praguepost.cz

The Effects of Littering in America

These are interesting facts on how this epidemic has affected American's environment; they include:

Littering reduces property value because it sends a message that people do not care or take pride in their community. It also affects tourism in America.

In Georgia, the DOT spends 20 million a year on roadside trash while it could benefit other sources. With the state of America during these trying times, this epidemic not only threatens the beauty of America, the money could save many Americans from homelessness.

The several trillion toxic cigarette butts littered worldwide annually are responsible for fatal fires and the deaths of numerous mammals, birds and reptiles that eat them.

Litter attracts litter and is a public health threat, which can lead to an epidemic. Discarded syringes and other litter are breeding grounds for bacteria. Currently, America deal with enough epidemics, so preventable measures must be in place to keep our country litter free. http://www.stoplittering.com

It takes 20 to 1,000 years for a plastic grocery bag to breakdown in our environment.

An estimated 4 million bags litter the globe each year. In 1999, 14 million trees were cut to produce the 10 billion grocery bags utilized by Americans. http://daviscoop.com

Ten Primary Sources of Litter in America

Pedestrians

Motorists

Uncovered loads

Household refuse and disposal including animal scavengers

Commercial refuse and disposals

Construction projects

People at leisure (lack of garbage cans and ashtrays)

Entertainment events

Illegal dumping

Intentional or habitual littering: laziness and rebelliousness http://www.praguepost.cz

How to Confront a Litterer

Stoplittering.com suggests it is best to confront a litterer with civility, as you will get better results. Cited instances include pitching the litter while making the litterer aware of their indiscretions or returning the litter saying to the offender "you dropped this".

Some States have adopted a reporting system such as Texas but it is doubtful that it could become a definitive method to decrease litter in America and our environment. The epidemic is too widespread.

A site http://dontmesswithtexas.com lists Texas reporting method; it can be very labor intensive and may be a waste of time if not all Americans participate. In additional, it is difficult to prosecute. You will need the license plate number (Texas plates only), make of the vehicle, and time of day, location, date, which (driver, passenger or accidental) tossed the trash and the item littered. This method is not feasible for all of America.

Amazingly, there exist groups in America, which promote littering. The http://litterclub founded in 1999 boasts of their littering escapades. Someone was quoted as saying, "I love it when kids litter" along with other distressing statements. The members share stories, pictures of trash thrown out in public, and boasts about littering. Invested Americans show interest in stopping this environmental epidemic plus an interest in keeping America beautiful.

Solutions to Help Protect Our Environment

Provide an adequate number of receptacles for trash and cigarettes

Use pickup bags for pet waste

Pack a garbage free lunch with reusable plastic containers and bottles

Follow your local governmental guidelines for discarding garden pesticides, paints, chemicals, gas, medical waste, and syringes

Use a reusable cloth bag for shopping and take plastic bags back to the store for recycling. http://www.praguepost.cz

In 1970, the White House and Congress formed the Environmental Protection in response to American's demand for cleaner water supply, air and environment. The mission of the Environmental Protection Agency is to protect human health and the environment. Since 1970, EPA has been working for a cleaner, healthier environment for the American people. EPA leads the nation in environmental science, research, education and assessment efforts. http://epa.org

I am always appalled when I see litter along our roads and highways not to mention the litter in yards. I save all my trash until I reach the proper receptacle. I do not mind people comments on the contents of my car and I do not allow anyone in my car to throw litter out of the window; I have stopped to pick it up. One of the major obstacles in merica is that some people do not understand what litter is and what it is not. www.stoplittering.com

Many Americans believe that cigarette butts are not litter but they can actually be very harmful for our environment. If America desires to remain beautiful and protect its environment, we must pay special attention to the epidemic of littering.

By understanding what harms our environment and endangers our animals, Americans should participate in local environmental cleanup efforts. The EPA is an organization with the goal of a cleaner America, but they require the efforts of all Americans for our country to remain beautiful.

References

http://stoplittering.com

http://www.praguepost.cz

http://daviscoop.com

http://www.praguepost.cz

http://dontmesswithtexas.com

http://litterclub

epa.org