Litter
An Analysis of the Causes and Effects of Littering
Littering may be defined as a human behavior that results in the improper or inappropriate disposal of waste products. Litter can range from anything such as plastic bags and wrappers to appliances, electronics and biological hazardous materials. Litter can be classified as illegal dumping if the former crosses a level of quantity or volume. Regardless of the volume, however, littering can have detrimental effects. In fact, studies show that even though littering "has decreased in the past 40 years" (Schultz, Stein, 2009, p. 6), "litter is still quite common" (Littering Behavior in America, 2009, p. 2). There is really only one primary cause of littering, which is nothing more than harmful human behavior. The effects of littering on humans, animals and the environment, however, are much more varied and diverse. This paper will analyze how human behavior causes littering to continue to proliferate, how the various detrimental effects of littering are felt by environments, humans and animals; and finally show what can be done to curb littering.
The Main Cause of Littering
It may be argued that the main cause of littering in the world is nothing more than the arrogance of people who think they do not need to take care of the world in which they live. They are deprived of any sense of realistic connection to nature. They live in a consumerist culture that is pleased to give them plastics and throw-away appliances that are then carelessly and haphazardly discarded. As Nicole Cardi (2012) illustrates, "littering is a personal choice that can stem from a lack of personal responsibility for one's actions and surroundings." But a lack of responsibility is not the only thing that keeps littering from going away: people who litter often show "a sense of entitlement -- a feeling that other people should clean up after them," (Cardi, 2012) and this sense of entitlement can easily be seen in large cities like Mumbai, where litter lines the streets, fills the gutters, pollutes the streams and lakes, and spoils the land. In fact, in places like Mumbai, "littering is socially accepted…nobody minds, no one cares" (Trash and litter in India?, 2010). In other words, the primary cause of littering is the lack of concern on the parts of peoples, societies and cultures which fail to estimate the effects that littering has not only on human life but on environment and animal life as well.
In places where littering is less socially acceptable and where cleanliness and sanitation is regarded as a priority, the effects of littering are less noticeable, mainly because there is simply less of it. As researchers like Schultz and Stein (2009) have shown, "community appearance [is] associated with littering rates," meaning that littering in places that are already "clean, attractive, and beautified" is less likely to occur than in places that are already spoiled by littering. This shows that one of the causes of littering is the fact that litter is already there, so people simply see no reason not to add to it. However, if areas are kept clean, littering is less likely to occur simply because the nice appearance of a community does not advocate it.
The Effect of Littering on Environments
If littering is caused by humans who neglect to properly dispose of waste materials, Bethany Wieman (2012) notes how the effects of littering are especially seen in environments meant to be enjoyed by the public such as beaches and parks. Littering can destroy the aesthetic quality of these environments and turn people away from wanting to enjoy them. Businesses that depend on the patronage of people coming to these places might suffer from the lack of patronage. Therefore, a small thing like littering, caused by humans, can have detrimental effects not only on environments but also on economies. In a word, Wieman shows how all things are ultimately related and how the destruction of "the beauty of parks and beaches" can have larger ramifications on humans than they oftentimes think.
Indeed, while the causes of littering in environments are invariably dependent on human behavior, the effects are felt not only by humans but by the animal world as well. However, a brief survey of how litter affects environments will help illustrate the problem of littering in a more concrete way. For example, street litter is often washed "into storm drains, into our waterways and ultimately ends up in the ocean" (Wieman, 2012). From there it is easy to understand how the litter can wash up on beaches. Simply because people discard cups, wrappers, cigarette butts, and other trash into street gutters and onto sidewalks does not mean that such litter will stay there. Climates, of course, play a part in what happens to such litter. Still, it is not difficult to see how the...
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