Why Litter Hurts

Plastic Bags cause environmental problems.
Data released by the United States Environmental Protection Agency shows that somewhere between 500 billion and a trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide each year (reference: National Geographic News – September 2, 2003). Less than 1% of these bags are recycled. It cost more to recycle a bag than to produce a new one (reference: Christian Science Monitor News Paper). Where do they go?    Click here to find out!

No Butts About It-cigarettes are the most littered item on earth, with several trillion-cigarette butts littered worldwide each year! Following close behind are paper, cans, bottles, and all the other tangible personal property that is unlawfully tossed, scattered and abandoned outdoors.  And with all this waste accumulating around us, the costs to humans, animals, and the environment are extremely high. 

Think cigarette butts aren’t litter? Think again: Made of plastic, 20+ years to break down, almost all end up in storm drains and eventually into creeks and the Bay…  (Click photo for larger picture)

Albatross feed on plastic bits, filling their stomachs and causing starvation when real food no longer fits. They feed their babies plastic as well. (Click photo for larger picture)

First, it is monetarily costly to employ people for cleaning up a city, in addition to tax payer monies spent on various expensive machinery for sweeping up streets, which will, in turn, create noise pollution. But the physical costs are even higher.  Vermin and disease are rife in places with high amounts of trash.  Litter in rivers and canals can pollute the water supply, and animals are often trapped or poisoned.  Children fall on litter in playgrounds, sometimes requiring medical attention.

Auto accidents are caused by drivers attempting to avoid debris on highways. Small animals crawl into bottles or jars, get stuck and slowly starve to death.  Or get caught in plastic six-pack rings, plastic bags, fishing line and a multitude of throw-aways.  Millions of animals, birds and fish die every year from litter. 

 So what can be done about this onerous and pervasive problem?  Well, imagine 100,000 people picking up one piece of trash a day. Just pick up a piece of litter today, then when you remember tomorrow, do it again and again and again. Follow up by creating a litter cleanup project in your neighborhood or local park with others in the community. And remember that recycling really does make a difference. 

Plastic rings from water and juice bottles are dangerous. This turtle swam through one as a tyke, then grew up around it. His spinal cord is exposed now. (courtesy Dino Ferri, Audubon Institute - Click photo for larger picture)

The items you recycle today come back in a variety of products, saving energy and resources while cutting pollution and creating jobs. Also, did you know that junk mail costs sixty-two million trees a year? Take action now to reduce this waste by signing up for a "Do Not Mail" list and to halt further unwanted mail, stop completing those warranty cards or registering for prizes or giveaways, which will result in your name being added to a mailing list.  You'll not only be helping the environment and our forests, but you'll be clearing your mailbox of all that pesky junk! 

Start today to make your neighborhood, your city and the world a better place. Stop littering, recycle, pick up trash and encourage others to do the same.  And when you've done all that, contact San Rafael Clean for more Save the Earth ideas!

More information on litter and how long it takes to break down can be found at Keep California Beautiful