How Does Littering Affect the Environment?
Litter consists of trash and household toxic substances that are improperly disposed of on land or in water. Whether the litter is intentional or unintentional, large or small, it can drastically affect the environment for years to come. Before carelessly tossing another item out the window or looking the other way when someone else does, consider the impact you can make on the environment by recycling, reusing and disposing of waste properly.
Litter that is tossed into the ocean can travel long distances with the currents and winds. Not only does this litter directly affect marine life and birds, but it also washes onto beaches, is caught in fishing nets, damages boat motors, is an eyesore and smells bad. Plastic bags and plastic wrap can asphyxiate marine animals and fish, and birds can easily entangle themselves in plastic six-pack rings and strings. Animals also get sick or die from swallowing trash, such as cigarettes and silicon packets. Metal scraps and broken glass can cut the flesh of birds and other animals.
Land litter is not hard to spot and comes in all types -- cigarette butts, plastic bags, old tires, fast food wrappers and plastic and glass bottles. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, seven major sources contribute to land litter: home trash cans, business trash collection areas, loading docks, construction and demolition sites, uncovered trucks, motorists and pedestrians. Litter isn't just unsightly: It can cause vehicle accidents and injuries, smother plants, start fires and harm or kill animals. It also attracts rats and harmful bacteria.
Litter, chemical runoff, illegal dumping and tobacco products can seep into groundwater and affect the water quality of people, especially people who rely on wells for their drinking water. Humans, animals and plants all need unpolluted water to survive. Litter can also clog storm-water drains and cause flooding. Food scraps and other organic items that are disposed of improperly can increase algal blooms in water, which reduces the amount of available oxygen for other aquatic life, such as fish.
It costs residents and local, state and federal governments millions of dollars to pick up litter, reverse the effects of littering and prevent litter. The monetary cost for these efforts could be drastically reduced and used for other environmental projects if people would dispose of garbage properly, recycle and reuse. For instance, the Virginia Department of Transportation spends more than $6 million every year cleaning up roadway trash, and that doesn’t include the time and energy that Adopt-a-Highway volunteers contribute. Millions spent like this could be allocated instead to environmental education programs such as New York's Environmental Education and Grow to Learn NYC, hazardous waste and cleanup programs like the Environment Protection Agency's Superfund program or grant programs such as the Community Action for a Renewed Environment.
- United States Environmental Protection Agency: Marine Litter -- Trash That Kills
- United States Environmental Protection Agency: Litter and Debris in Our Waterways
- Environment Protection Authority Tasmania: About Litter
- Environment Protection Authority of Victoria: Report Litter
- Florida Litter Information: Environmental Impacts
- Chintimini Wildlife Center: Litter and Pollution
- United States Environmental Protection Agency: Superfund
- United States Environmental Protection Agency: Community Action for a Renewed Environment
- Grown NYC: Environmental Education Programs