Calling all Litter Bugs!

I came away from this past weekend troubled, and wondering how we can possibly save the planet, if we are still littering the planet!?! How can we solve an entirely complex problem like the climate crisis, if we cannot even behave in a basic and decent way?

Crushed Optimism

My guiding light over this past year has been that we humans can make change for good. I have been counting on our ability to place values in front of conveniences. That we can be more responsible in our actions and are willing to make sacrifices for the betterment of all. These beliefs not only led me forward, but they gave me hope. That optimism helped me to stay focused on being a part of the solution while it minimized any despair that news accounts caused.  A lot must go right for us to reverse the effects of climate change and to alter our habits enough to put the Earth’s temperature back in check.

It is not just that we all need to adjust our behaviors, by choosing more positive climate behaviors over those that are less sustainable, we as a society need to make a paradigm shift away from fossil fuels. That fossil fuel reliance feels so far out of my hands because it requires so much of a shift not just in industry, but in politics as well. I know that I am not equipped to solve that, but I did believe that our individual lifestyle changes and habits could add up and collectively make an impact.  

That is, until I spent one hour on a road surrounded by litter! This past weekend I volunteered for our Town Clean Up Day and in one hour I picked up (with a friend) twenty pounds of trash – on a road adjacent to an elementary school, no less!  I know that I am not alone believing that littering is disrespectful and shows a lack of connection to the planet and everyone on it. It is disgusting and honestly just baffling!

Just Gross!

I collected more than two dozen nip bottles, piles and piles of cigarette butts and vape filters, half a dozen Dunkin’ plastic cups (no offense Dunkin’), several McDonald’s food bags and wrappers (again, no offense – but so many single-use food packaging related items), and tons of candy wrappers. My volunteer partner collected much of the same plus a few large wine bottles. It makes you wonder, just how safe it is to be out driving on the roads, but that is a whole different thought process. Right now, my question is, do we honestly think it is okay to throw anything out of a car window, or drop something on the ground and if this is what we are talking through, then how will we do the work that is really important? The bigger heftier important work that will actually lower our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions! You know, the work that is necessary to turn around climate change and save the planet!

Unfortunately, there is a lot that is now required of us! We must change! And not just little things! We have to be a bit uncomfortable, a bit inconvenienced, a little less satiated, absolutely less focused on instant gratification, and more focused on future generations. We must live with the UN’s definition of environmental sustainability in mind. We need to use natural resources responsibly as to not compromise future generation’s ability to meet their needs of life on this planet.

That is pretty heavy-duty work that needs to be done! And worrying about litter or even having litter on our planet should be so far beneath where we are, but it is not! And so, after my unfortunate adventure, I started looking into how big this problem really is. Statistically speaking, a study done by Keep America Beautiful, Inc., estimated that there was approximately 50 billion pieces of litter along U.S. roadways and waterways. That equates to roughly 152 pieces of litter for every U.S. resident. Umm, am I helping to make it better yet? I mean, I am sure that I picked up at least 152 pieces this past weekend, but I also know that not everyone will do that – certainly not our litter bugs!

Cigarette butts are not biodegradable!

The good news is that it looks like less than 20% of people actually litter. So less than 20% of us are actually a part of the problem! That sounds maybe a bit more manageable! The bad news is that number goes up to 65% when it is a smoker disposing of a cigarette butt. For some reason, smokers although they might not litter other items, feel it is totally okay for them to throw their butts on the ground. It doesn’t matter if it is from their car window while driving or at a convenience store, gas station, or retail location. Even if the smoker was parked near a receptacle, they still littered! Come on! Do better!

And cigarettes are one of the worst kinds of litter that can be put out into the world. According to an article from Ocean Care, “Cigarette butts are a persistent form of toxic plastic pollution. Littered in the environment they do not biodegrade. [read that again, just in case you missed it! They do NOT biodegrade!] Instead, they slowly leak a chemical cocktail of highly toxic and carcinogenic substances into soils, waterways, lakes, and the oceans.”  Does anyone else feel like screaming or is it just me?!

OMG! What do we do?!

The results of the source studies that I looked at showed that litter begets littering. As ridiculous as it sounds, people look around and if they see litter they figure that one more piece doesn’t make a difference. They also decide from the appearance of a location, that apparently litter is the norm, so they easily jump on the bandwagon. Cleaning up litter does result in helping to prevent future litter. Another solution is to make sure that there are accessible receptacles with clear messaging. Like, “throw your garbage here, DUMMY!”  I added the DUMMY part, because it feels like it should be said, but successful campaigns around the world are a bit more motivational and informative.

Here is what is happening around the world.

In Denmark, for example, the city of Copenhagen undertook a litter prevention campaign called “Kaerlighed til KBH” which means “Clean Love for Copenhagen.” It is now one of the cleanest cities in Europe. And I personally witnessed the attitude of Danes towards litterers throughout Denmark, not just in Copenhagen. I watched on many occasions when someone dropped something (even if it was accidental) a Dane approached the litterer and pointed out the trash and instructed the litterbug to pick it up. Love it! Those Danish people are not shy at all when it comes to – well pretty much anything. And, good for them!

The Danish campaign was filled with marketing messages like “Fact #1 did you know that it costs 10 kroner to remove one piece of chewing gum from the street?” Denmark approached their litter problem with the idea that gentle nudging would increase Danes’ desire to keep their cities clean. In addition to the messaging, Copenhagen placed footprints that directed people to the garbage bins and made garbage disposal more obvious and convenient. It was successful because they kept the campaign more positive in nature and tapped into people’s sense of pride about their environment.

So, I guess it is official, we can’t say “DUMMY!” Denmark’s success shows that we can get people over the “it’s not my trash, it’s not my job!” thought processing. And that entire communities can implement change for good.  

Solutions YOU can implement!

How do you feel about stepping up as an environmental steward in your community? I am not suggesting that you have to personally pick up 152 pieces of litter, but even though it makes me mad (and maybe you too!) picking up litter helps to prevent more litter. It is not that it is like Ground Hog Day, it will change people’s behavior overtime. And our planet’s health is just too important.  

Here is my new commitment based on this experience and what I learned!

• I will attend and even organize cleanup events, and I will encourage my family to do the same.
• I will work on cleaning up parks and the areas where I walk my dog. I can bring an extra bag on each walk and as I go, I will work to pick up the area that I already enjoy walking and hiking. I already have the poopy bag so why not have a bit of a bigger bag too? Maybe others will notice and follow my lead! Studies showed that even two pieces of litter made the difference in people’s decisions to litter or not – so the small actions we can take do matter!
• I will make sure that the lid of my garbage is on tight and that I do not participate in any way in accidental littering.

So even though it isn’t my job!

And it’s gross!

It is important to pick up litter as you go! Every piece each of us picks up will make a difference in the world! So out into the world I go, to do more than my part as a cleaner, environmentalist, tidier and any other words that mean the opposite of litterer!  

Let me know if you have more ideas to combat this problem!

  “We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do.”

~ Mahatma Gandhi