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Why People Litter
Keep America Beautiful has determined that people litter
because: They feel no sense of ownership, even though areas such
as parks and beaches are public property. They believe someone
else-a park maintenance or highway worker- will pick up after
them. Litter already has accumulated.
Who Is Littering?
There is no such thing as a single "littering type". People
of all ages and social backgrounds have been observed littering,
... men and women, children, mature adults and all ages in
between are equally likely to litter. Today's litterer can no
longer be described as a pick-up truck driving young man --
today's litterer may be you.
Where do people litter?
Research has identified locations where litter accumulates.
The locations fall into these categories: special event venues,
roadways and highways, high traffic and everyday locations and
transition points.
What Can YOU Do?
Join one or more of the local and regional events listed on
our website! And learn more about the national battle against
litter by visiting
Keep America Beautiful’s website.
Information in this article was provided by
Keep America Beautiful. |
“Litter-Known” Facts
We know that there is no such thing as a single littering
type. What we do know is that there are seven primary sources of
litter:
1) Pedestrians or cyclists who do not use receptacles.
2) Motorists who do not use car ashtrays or litterbags.
3) Business dumpsters that are improperly covered.
4) Loading docks and commercial or recreational marinas with
inadequate waste receptacles.
5) Construction and demolition sites without tarps and
receptacles to contain debris and waste.
6) Trucks with uncovered loads on local roads and highways.
7) Household trash scattered before or during collection.
No matter where litter starts, it moves. From streets and
highways to parks and waterways. Wind and weather moves litter
around a community, into the gutters, planted gardens,
alleyways and parking areas. In one study, researchers found
that 18% of all littered items end up in our streams and
waterways as pollution.
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Just
yesterday I was in the car with my mom and she commented on how much
litter there was in the highway median. Once you read this article
you will probably start noticing litter too. You will see that
litter is not just on the highway. There is trash on our
neighborhood streets, in our shopping centers and most of that trash
eventually finds it way to rivers and streams. 
While
preventing litter would be the ideal solution, much of the litter
effort in central Virginia has to do with picking up existing
litter. Many cities and counties will be holding regional cleanup
days this spring. For details on cleanup events near you, check out
our lists of
Litter
is the result of too little attention to how waste is handled -- the
careless and casual handling of waste creates litter. Knowing more
about the causes of litter and where it comes from is a good place
to start in addressing litter prevention. One person, one business,
one organization can positively affect the behavior of others in
their community. 
