Yesterday I spoke about the people who frequently leave their trash behind in public places, such as at movie theaters, with an expectation that someone else will clean up after them. Today, I want to discuss a related subject about the people who purposely litter directly in the environment.
Littering is a big problem, especially in the United States. I’m sure you’ve seen it happening at least once, and most likely even more then that, around you at some point in time. Or maybe you’ve even done it yourself here and there thinking it’s not really that big of a deal for the rare times you have. Well here are 10 interesting facts you may not know about when it comes to the downsides of littering:
- Over 800 Americans are killed each year in litter-attributed motor vehicle accidents.
- It takes 50-60 years for an aluminum can to decompose, 450-1000 years for a plastic bottle, 20-1000 years for a plastic bag, 2-10 years for cigarette butts, and ironically, it even takes up to 2 years for orange peels and banana skins to decompose.
- Litter strewn areas actually lead others to want to litter even more in those areas.
- Many small animals crawl into bottles or jars getting stuck in the process and slowly starve to death. They also get caught in those plastic shopping bags, six pack rings, and old fishing lines and then they can’t get away from danger or they suffocate. And every year, millions of animals die this way.
- Many plants and areas abundant with natural vegetation are destroyed each year due to the toxicity created by litter.
- Litter removal costs almost 10 percent of district budgets statewide and usually is in the amount of millions. This only leads back to us with higher taxes and more money coming out of our pockets.
- Close to 20 percent of roadside litter is actually recyclable.
- Many cigarette butts thrown out car windows lead to roadside brush fires and wildfires.
- Much of the toxic litter gets consumed into crops and livestock on farms that eventually makes its way to our tables to consume.
- Spitting chewing gum out of our mouths into anywhere in the environment is a major health issue because of the bacteria contained in it, as well as the chemicals needed to remove it off the roads and sidewalks where it lands. Gum is also not biodegradable and animals often mistake it for food where death can occur from them trying to digest it.
I’ve always been curious as to why people purposely litter, even when they know at least a few of these facts. Through my Internet research, I was able to discover the number one reason why is that people are too lazy and can’t be bothered to find a trash receptacle. Some other reasons included the lack of environmental education, not having a sense of pride in their community, or being raised in families who littered themselves.
Doing all of this research into littering has truly opened my eyes quite a bit. I’ve seen how even some of my own past actions can change now. It saddened me to realize that my former gum spitting habits and fruit remains disposals out my car window could have caused great harm in a world I’m trying very hard to create more love and light in. Educating myself on this topic has definitely changed my perception completely. Choosing to repeat these actions now would be unspiritual and just plain ignorant on my part.
I’m really glad I did the research on the litter problem in our country. It helped me out tremendously and it’s my hope that it will help educate others as well. But the education factor is only the beginning. Changing one’s littering behaviors is obviously the next step. And maybe even more importantly than this is something else we can all do, that my Higher Power showed me will help to reduce the litter problem in our country…The next time you see any litter on the ground nearby, try picking it up and bringing it to the nearest trash bin. You’ll be surprised on how much this actually ends up influencing others who observe this to start looking at their own behaviors and do the same. Maybe then our litter problem will start to drastically reduce in our country…
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson