Littering the side of the street - Assignment Example

Littering the Side of the Street Littering in the United s is typically considered a local problem. The litter cleanup burden normally falls to community groups or local governments. For instance, most states in the US are implementing strict measures to help prevent littering problem via public campaigns. These states spend millions of dollars annually to clean up: the federal government spends approximately $11.5 billion yearly on litter clean up (“Keep America Beautiful”). Littering negatively affects the environment.

For instance, litter is in most cases washed up to the ocean shores thus killing the sea life. Additionally, trash may harbor diseases, which can be passed to animals eating it. Also, litter may attract other litter since it tells people to continue dumping litter in the same place. Moreover, litter may turn out to be a fire hazard. Furthermore, apart from littering being bad, it just looks disgusting (“JB Green Team”). Figure 1: Cigarette Butts Dumped In the Street Cigarette butts are considered the main source of litter (“Keep America Beautiful”).

Despite being small, they are very dangerous. Cigarette butts have harmful chemicals such as arsenic that contaminates both soil and water. Cigarette butts are also a potential fire hazard (“JB Green Team”). It simply means that cigarettes can now not only harm us when we smoke it, but even when we do not smoke it. Generally, litter prevention starts with an individual. As an individual minimizing litter may be easy, however it requires vigilance. For beginners, never throw trash from your car, and always ensure that you tightly seal the household garbage bins so that animals do not get the contents.

Also, never forget your garbage upon leaving a public space such as a park. If you smoke then consider quitting bearing in mind the impacts that cigarettes have on the environment. Furthermore, if the roadway to your home is like an asylum for litter, volunteer for a cleanup.Works Cited“Illegal Dumping & Litter.” JB Green Team. n.d. Web. 19th April, 2015. . “Litter in America: Results from the Nation’s Largest Litter Study.” Keep America Beautiful, Inc. 2010. Web. 19th April 2015.