Litter Prevention

Man sitting on garbage

Keep America Beautiful believes every person has a stake in their community, including a stake in the community's litter problem. Research and experience tell us that litter attracts the eye and, at times, litter attracts MORE litter. We have found that a clean community discourages littering and illegal dumping. Proper handling of litter and waste in a community raises the standards and expectations of everyone.

At the national, regional, state and local level, Keep America Beautiful educates and encourages individuals to take personal responsibility for their community environment. Our Network of Affiliates and Great American Cleanup participating communities teach proper handling of litter in a community along with beautification and waste minimization.

Whether you are a business owner of employee, a resident, a property owner, a visitor, a volunteer leader or an elected official, YOU can make a different in litter reduction in your community. To do this, Keep America Beautiful teaches the following approach to community change:

Education - in schools and in communities,
Technology - equipment to measure and manage waste,
Ordinances - laws which impact solid waste & litter management, and
Enforcement - consistent, effective law and ordinance enforcement.

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.

YOU can make a difference.

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, childn, 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.

Keep America Beautiful does not believe there is a stereotypical litterer. Rather, it's Network of Affiliates and other stakeholders use a variety of traditional and community education programs to teach responsible behavior and proper disposal of trash and waste. Beautiful litter is an individual behavioral problem or a business problem, it can become a problem for your community. And, changing a behavior which may be a societal norm, begins with each of us. It begins with YOU.

Where do people litter?

Keep America Beautiful research, its Network of Affiliates, other stakeholders in this issue, published studies and other sources identify locations that may become littered. The locations fall into thesecategories: special event venues, roadways and highways, high traffic and everyday locations and transition points.

Special Event Venues such as fairs, concerts, carnivals and other special events attract a large number of people who will generate waste. Large events generate lots of waste.

Involve event planners and vendors in having a "waste wise/litter free" event.
Post signs with antilittering messages for all attendees.
Plan ahead to assure that the number of waste and recycling receptacles matches the potential volume of waste.
Place volunteers near receptacles to guide participants to proper waste disposal.

Roadways and Highways as well as highway on/off ramps and roadway median strips have increasingly become the target of litterers. While Adopt-a-Highway/Roadway/Spot programs exist around our country, drivers and car passengers are littering these spots every day. The recent census reports that people spent more and more hours in the car every day. People are snacking, smoking and eating their meals while traveling by car.

Car litterbags are needed. And, when these are full, they should be emptied in a trash receptacle.
Smokers must use a car ashtray and/or a portable or pocket ashtray to dispose of these cigarettes, lighting material and butts.
All businesses appealing to clients who drive should encourage their customers to dispose of trash properly.
Signage, messages on consumable products' packaging and distribution of car litterbags is needed.

Businesses like food vendors, convenience store owners, auto dealerships and auto rental agencies need to help their customers do the right thing, to be responsible for proper disposal of trash and waste.

High Traffic and Everyday Locations are fast food businesses and deli's, convenience stores, picnic grounds, park benches and other high pedestrian traffic areas. Every community has businesses selling consumable products that generate packaging waste. And, every community has benches in parks as well as seating at bus stops and picnic areas where people will eat their lunch rom home or food, beverages or snacks just purchased. These spots need properly maintained ash/trash receptacles nearby that are easily identified. The receptacles need to be maintained and serviced regularly.

Transition Points are the places where someone stops eating, drinking or smoking before they proceed. A Transition Point may be the entrance to a public building, an office, a retail establishment, a train platform or bus stop.

A Transition Point is the place where strategically placed receptacles will quickly and easily capture discarded papers, cans and cigarette butts. Individuals may drop items and create litter before they move into a building, onto a bus or into the train.

Identifying Transition Points in communities, equipping them with ash or trash receptacles and regularly and properly maintaining the receptacles will reduce litter and improve a community’s appearance.

“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:

Pedestrians or cyclists who do not use receptacles.
Motorists who do not use car ashtrays or litterbags.
Business dumpsters that are improperly covered.
Loading docks and commercial or recreational marinas with inadequate waste receptacles.
Construction and demolition sites without tarps and receptacles to contain debris and waste.
Trucks with uncovered loads on local roads and highways..
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.

Other influences include changes in household and business trach collection. "Pay As You Throw" programs or a reduced pick-up pattern may move individuals to illegally dump household trash.

When illegal dumping occurs, days and sometimes weeks or months will pass before there is a cleanup. In the meantime, people, animals and wildlife are naturally attracted. Trash bags are opened and the trash is distributed on the ground. Once this happens, it is easily caught by the wind and becomes ... litter!

Solutions to litter problems are not always about cleaning up after the fact. In most cases, solutions come from thoughtful prevention.

Keep America Beautiful knows that litter is a result of some individuals paying too little attention to their actions and others carelessly handling waste. We know it takes one persona at a time to make a difference.

What Can YOU Do?

Littering is an individual behavioral problem or a business problem that can become a problem for your community. Changing a societal norm like littering begins with each of us. Each person must accept responsibility for their actions and influence the actions of others around them in their business, home, school and community. By modeling proper trash and waste disposal, you will cause others to consider their actions, too.

Every Person

Set an example for others, especially co-workers, friends and children by using receptacles and NOT littering.
Carry a litterbag and portable ashtray in your car.
If you are a smoker, carry and use a portable or pocket ashtray.

Families

Make sure your trashcans have lids that can be securely fastened or use bungee cords to hold them in place.
Secure all bags and use twine to secure loose trash for curbside trash collection.
Tie paper into bundles before placing into curbside recycling bins.

Government Leaders

Identify Transition Points in your community, place ash and trash receptacles at these points and commit to proper maintenance of the receptacles.
Encourage building owners and business managers to place ash receptacles at points where their employees and/or customers smoke outdoors.
Distribute portable or pocket ashtrays and litterbags throughout your community to educate your citizens about individual responsibility for proper waste disposal.
Coordinate "adopt-a-spot" programs with local community organizations, youth groups and school groups to augment the regular maintenance of public places by your employees.

Business Owners

Assure easy access to dumpsters by employees and contracts. Check dumpsters daily to see that top and side doors are closed. This prevents scavengers from spreading trash around the ground.
Cover all open loads on trucks leaving your business. Encourage vendors and contractors to do the same!
Provide ash and trash receptacles at entrances, exits, loading docks, picnic areas as well as in packing lots and along walkways of your business. Remember, these should be placed where the people are!
Educate your employees about the importance of individual responsibility for a clean and safe working environment.

Community Leaders

Encourage groups to “adopt a spot” in your town or neighborhood and encourage maintenance on a regular basis.
Utilize information from Keep America Beautiful to initiate education programs adressing sustainable community improvement through litter prevention, beautification and waste reduction.

Event Organizers

Make your festival, fair or any outdoor community events "waste wise/litter free" by involving all participants in the planning.
Give out litterbags and portable or pocket ashtrays at the entrances and make sure everyone knows that your event is a “waste wise/litter free" event.
Place large trash receptacles and recycling receptacles near food venues and eating areas. Remember, large event, large number of attendees equal large, well-marked receptacles. If you place event volunteers nearby to help attendees find the receptacles as they need them you will reduce clean-up while educating people about proper waste/recycling disposal.

Marina Operators

Pass out litterbags and portable or pocket ashtrays to boaters and their guests.
Provide ash, trash, recycling and bulk waste receptacles dockside for your customers.
Install fishing line collection receptacles with signage to college broken and used line -- keep fishing line out of the water!
Offer litterbags, ash receptacles and trash containers in your supply store.

Smokers

As soon as you light up, identify where you will dispose of your cigarette waste when you finish smoking. Use ash and ash/trash receptacles.
Carry a pocket ashtray all the time or have a portable ashtray with you as you leave your home, office or car.
Encourage fellow smokers to be responsible for their cigarette litter, too.

Pet Owners

Pick-up after your dog as you walk through your neighborhood. Use newspaper delivery bags, 'pooper scoopers' or other easy to use methods to clean-up after your pet Keeping your pet on a leash assures that it doesn't foul neighbors' yards or public spaces in your neighborhood.
Be responsible for your pet and its actions.