By Akshita Prakash
What is littering? Littering is the start of pollution. If we can stop the carelessness and laziness of many individuals, perhaps littering can be reduced. In other words, “littering can be defined as making a place or area untidy with rubbish, or incorrectly disposing waste.“ Littering causes pollution, a major threat to the environment, and has increasingly become a cause for concern in many countries. When a person litters that usually don’t realize the consequences of their action. To them, they can go about their day thinking they did nothing wrong. Many of the consequences are due to excessive amounts of littering, and are the reason much of wildlife are going extinct.
Consequences of Littering
Litter adversely affects the environment. When you litter along the road, or on the streets or by the litter bins, toxic materials and/or chemicals in litter can be washed into rivers, forests, lakes and oceans, and eventually will pollute waterways, soil or aquatic environments. Based on recent data, 7 billion tons of debris enter the world’s oceans annually and most of it is long-lasting plastic. Litter also reduces air quality due to the smell and toxic/chemical vapor emanating from the trash. A polluted environment allows for diseases to arise. Human and animal life will be in danger if left alone.
Plastic litter is another threat to the environment. It has often been mistaken for food by both land and marine wildlife. When consumed by animals, they reduce the stomach capacity since they cannot be digested. In the long-term it affects the animals’ eating habits, eventually killing the animals. Much of marine wildlife including birds, whales, dolphins and turtles have been found dead with plastic and cigarettes found in their stomachs. Did you know? Cigarette butts take a grand total of ten years to decompose because of cellulose acetate, contrary to the common perception that cigarette butts decompose very quickly in only a matter of days. In reality, cigarette butts are a serious threat to the environment, as they contain toxic substances like arsenic which can contaminate soil and water.
Another negative aspect of littering is that it is too expensive for a country, society and individuals. Cleaning up litter requires a huge amount of money that is financed by taxpayers that could be used in more productive ways. Furthermore, littering can lead to car accidents. Some trash in the road is enough to create a dangerous situation that could result in serious injuries or death. All of this is caused by, simply throwing trash out your car window, or incorrectly disposing your waste.
What can we do to help?
The ideal way to handle the problem of littering is for each member of society to take responsibility and try their best to properly dispose of waste. In other words, organize beach cleanups, or raise awareness of this ongoing issue. You can help install more trash bins, or let the local authorities know what is needed in your area, in order to reduce the spread of littering. Installing enough garbage bins in town centers, walking routes, public areas, and near bus stops as well as fast-food restaurants offer convenience in disposing and collecting litter. Have someone empty the bins regularly as well. But this is not enough. Sadly, the increase in garbage bins is not enough to stop the excessive littering. “Community clean up events can be an effective way for spreading anti-litter messages in society. The issue can also be incorporated in bulletin boards, TV programs, social media platforms, and newsletters in a more intensive way in order to spread the message widely. Furthermore, an anti-littering sign might be placed in highly littered areas such as the streets near public transport stations.” These signs serve to constantly remind people that littering is a bad thing that should be avoided. We can stop littering. We just need the right people.
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