Littering: Litter and Feet Wide Highway
Did you know that $11.5 billion is spent every year just to clean up litter alone? People don’t realize that by cutting down littering this money can be used to help the population in many other ways. Research and studies have shown that communities and neighborhoods with a lot of litter decrease the value of the property in those regions by as much as 7% (www.litteringfacts.com). By having a cleaner city more businesses are interested in making an investment and tourists are more likely to pay a visit, and with that the city makes an extra income.
Statistics from www.knowledgegalaxy.com show that over 50% of littered items in the United States are cigarette butts. Every cigarette butt takes at least 12 years to decompose, during that time period it pollutes waterways and soil with lead, arsenic, and cadmium. If we take all the littered cigarette butts in America, we would be able to build a seven feet wide highway across the country.
Littering is not only bad for the earth but it can also affect a person’s health. Litter can be breeding grounds for many disease causing insects and rodents which can transfer their diseases to humans. Not just humans’ animals as well are affected, every year, millions of fish, birds and animals are killed from consuming or getting tangled up in plastic bags and plastic six pack rings. Broken glass is also very dangerous because it can cut their feet as well.
81% of litterers admit that higher fines and stricter laws would stop them from littering (www.knowledgegalaxy.com)."I agree because if people see someone having to pay really high fines or even getting arrested just for littering, it would make people think that maybe throwing their trash on the floor isn't a good idea, and they would stop themselves, I know I would."-Jonathan Rodriguez, grade 10
"I only litter because there are not enough trash cans around to throw my garbage in, every time I'm walking and I have garbage in my hands, there never seems to be a
Statistics from www.knowledgegalaxy.com show that over 50% of littered items in the United States are cigarette butts. Every cigarette butt takes at least 12 years to decompose, during that time period it pollutes waterways and soil with lead, arsenic, and cadmium. If we take all the littered cigarette butts in America, we would be able to build a seven feet wide highway across the country.
Littering is not only bad for the earth but it can also affect a person’s health. Litter can be breeding grounds for many disease causing insects and rodents which can transfer their diseases to humans. Not just humans’ animals as well are affected, every year, millions of fish, birds and animals are killed from consuming or getting tangled up in plastic bags and plastic six pack rings. Broken glass is also very dangerous because it can cut their feet as well.
81% of litterers admit that higher fines and stricter laws would stop them from littering (www.knowledgegalaxy.com)."I agree because if people see someone having to pay really high fines or even getting arrested just for littering, it would make people think that maybe throwing their trash on the floor isn't a good idea, and they would stop themselves, I know I would."-Jonathan Rodriguez, grade 10
"I only litter because there are not enough trash cans around to throw my garbage in, every time I'm walking and I have garbage in my hands, there never seems to be a