Littering is Wrong Too
Littering isn’t funny but we can’t help but chuckle at the new anti-littering campaign from Keep America Beautiful. The premise is that some actions are just plain wrong (networking at funerals) and, well, Littering is Wrong Too. According to the website, the campaign “calls attention to the fact that those who litter are, frankly, jerks.”
And there you have it.
All joking aside, littering is a serious problem. We hate to see any trash in our local parks, especially when there are plenty of trash cans nearby. Here are some stats from Keep America Beautiful that illustrate just what a problem littering is:
– More than 51 billion pieces of litter end up on U.S. roadways each year. Most of it – 46.6 billion pieces – is less than 4 inches. So that’s 6,729 items per mile.
– Litter cleanup costs the U.S. almost $11.5 billion annually, with businesses paying $9.1 billion and governments, schools and organizations picking up the rest.
– A study in 2009 found litter in a community decreases property values 7 percent.
– The most common types of litter are bottles, can, fast food packaging, plastic shopping bags and cigarette butts.
– Eighty percent of our waterways are littered with trash that was initially dropped on land.
We could go on, but you get the picture: littering is wrong. The good news it’s easily preventable. Throw your trash in the garbage, don’t leave garbage in the back of your truck and recycle.
Let’s keep our parks – and all land – litter free and beautiful!