Definition of litter noun 1 [mass noun] rubbish such as paper, tins, and bottles left lying in an open or public

place: always clear up after a picnic and never drop litter [as modifier]: a litter bin [in singular] an untidy collection of things lying about: a litter of sleeping bags on the floor IDEAS: -Number one littered item (cigarette butts) (Cigarettes - the big litter problem Composed of cellulose acetate, a form of plastic, cigarette butts can persist in the environment as long as other forms of plastic. They are also dangerous to wildlife. Cigarette butts have been found in the stomachs of birds, dogs, cats, and squirrels. Cigarette smoke contains up to 4000 chemicals. Cigarette butts take up to 12 years to break down. ) -Rate of biodegration for different items -effects (dangerous,unhygenic, offensive, wasteful, long-lasting, expensive) -Studies show that littering is most likely to take place in locations where litter is already present. -everyone litters, lack of trashcans has been found to NOT be a cause. One cause may be that once there is litter there, you are more likely to place your litter there. It is a cycle effect. -there is a lot of info on the web....this assigenment is fairly easy.

Littering effects everyone and everyone litters, so why do we do it? Littering not only makes the area look dirty, it effects the economy, the wildlife, is a safety hazard, expensive and wasteful! The causes of littering of very simple and easy to establish, while the effects of littering are complex and difficult to deal with. (GO BACK AND ADD DETAIL WHEN YOU START WRITING OR ONCE YOU DECIDE WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO FOCUS ON TO MAKE IT MORE SPECIFIC)

Then, go into causes....And then effects....And then some of your ideas about how we can help stop littering....Conclusion.... EDIT: Have you ever heard of the pyramid plan for essays? Introduce with a upside down pyramid and end with a right side up pyramid. Meaning, open with a broad topic and get more specific, then go into your other paragraphs. this serves as your intro. Do the opposit for the conclusion. Start specific and go broad! Good luck! Source(s):http://www.recycle.ubc.ca/littermain.htm

Dont blame plastics but the culprits who discard them WHILST the Penang government should be applauded for trying to curtail the spread of dengue, plastic bags and polystyrene items should not be made the target for such an agenda. Are plastic bags and polystyrene the purveyors of dengue? It is obviously not, and if we were to follow this line of reasoning, then next on the list of items to be banned would be discarded tyres, pot plant bases and other containers which are all common breeding ground for the aedes mosquito. A lot of time has gone into re-assuring the public that plastics do not pose any health risk and is also not the real culprit of litter. Plastics wastes as an environmental hazard have been overstated and have been believed by so many people without the facts to justify their claims. Plastics wastes take up the least space in the landfil due to its lightweight properties. Plastics in general take less fuel to transport and consequently create less damaging and carcinogenic exhaust emissions. Plastic bags, for example, are mainly made from raw materials such as polyethylene, which consists of carbon and hydrogen, the fundamental elements of life.It is therefore, chemically inert, non-toxic, and does not contribute to ground water and soil contamination. Does the menace of dengue lie in the product itself? No! It is the people who throw plastic bags and polystyrene containers and other dengue-causing agents indiscriminately without any thought to the environment. With the alarming number of dengue breeding sites in Malaysia, it certainly is the right time to stop blaming the materials that bring much convenience to our daily lives and start looking into ways to address the issue of littering. It is, therefore, unfair that plastic bags and polystyrene are being made the scapegoats when there is a lack of public awareness that plastics are 100% recyclable and amenities and infrastructures to promote recycling. The polluters must pay policy, instituted by the state government, will not be meaningful if the root cause of the spread of dengue is not addressed to by advocating good personal hygiene and putting in place proper recycling infrastructures to combat littering. The public can be assured that the use of plastic bags and polystyrene in our daily lives are both environmentally sound and medically safe. Also, evidence shows that fines and bans not only constitute to a waste of the taxpayers money, but drive recessionary pressures and hurt small businesses, all with no proven benefit to the public health and environment.

Littering reflects badly on local attitudes

Posted on December 11, 2011, Sunday

ONE FOR THE MEMORIES: Tourists taking photos from the top of a clift overlooking Teluk Pandan Kecil. Bako boasts spectacular views of the Sarawak coastline which are often accessible by foot or by boat. LOCALS still lack the eco-respect needed to become responsible caretakers of the environment. A recent visit to the states oldest natural park revealed that visitors attitudes towards Mother Nature fall disappointingly short of the mark compared with those of foreign visitors. During a 1.5 hour trek along the Telok Pandan Kecil and Telok Pandan Besar trails, Bako National Park park manager Siali Aban collected enough garbage to fill a medium-sized plastic bag. These trails are among the parks most popular trekking routes because of the breathtaking views they offer. Telok Pandan Besar takes trekkers to one of the parks most popular viewpoints on top of a cliff with a stunning view of the beach below while Telok Pandan Kecik takes trekkers down to the beach itself. However, the trip was marred by the sight of rubbish mostly empty plastic bottles and soft drink cans left behind by trekkers who could not be bothered to carry their trash back to the park headquarters, despite a number of notices placed around the park, reminding visitors to dispose of their discards in the proper receptacles. Its usually the local visitors who do this, said Siali as he retrieved yet another empty plastic bottle from under the wooden boardwalk. They always try to hide the garbage such as in the bushes or under the boardwalk. I dont understand why they cannot carry it back to Hq with them. After all, they carried it all the way over here. With only 20 full-time park staff who must multi-task a multitude of responsibilities between them from registering visitors to maintaining accommodation facilities it is not easy to constantly keep the parks 17 trails litter-free without cooperation from visitors. Even though it is only a relative handful of local visitors who litter indiscriminately, it still reflects badly on local attitudes. Across the river at the Sarawak Forestry jetty where boatmen from Kampung Bako waited to take visitors across to the park, a group of children were spotted nonchalantly throwing empty icecream wrappers onto the ground, despite standing less than three feet away from a rubbish bin, suggesting that lackadaisical attitudes towards Nature are learnt from young.

Litter Awareness

As we look around our beautiful country we all too often see plastic bottles, cans, glass bottles, polystyrene containers and cups, plastic, paper and a whole lot of other rubbish littering our streets, our parks, alongside our highways, our neighbourhoods, our shopping areas, our rivers and many other places in our environment. No waste company is can keep a town or city clean when residents litter and dump illegally randomly. If residents join in in cleaning up their environment and then keep it clean, we win because we have a cleaner, safer and more hygienic city or town. Does it matter if we litter? With so many other important issues such as crime and violent crime, AIDS, child abuse, joblessness should we care about whether we put our litter in the bin (or recycle where possible.) Should we care if South Africa and the environment in which we live are kept clean? YES It does matter and we should care. WHY? Litter is both an environmental and asocial issue. It's unsightly It reduces the aesthetic appeal of public places including streets, parks and waterways. It costs the community huge sum of money and time to clean up every year. It causes blockages of the drainage system and causes flooding which costs councils millions of rand to repair. This is money that can be better spent on housing and education. When it gets into our waterways - rivers, dams and the sea - it can kill aquatic life directly (eg. through choking) and indirectly through its impacts on water quality. It decreases oxygen levels when it decays in water. It kills rivers and as water is such a precious resource, and we have a limited supply, we need to preserve and cherish our rivers and waterways; which are the lifeblood of the environment. They provide homes for wildlife and plants, water supplies for homes, industries and farms and places of recreation and enjoyment for us all. It can be dangerous to people particularly when it involves items such as broken glass, rust, needle and syringes.

 It can be a fire hazard for example when lit cigarettes are thrown out.

It harms birds for example they may choke on plastic, chewing gum or any other litter that gets stuck in their throats.

It breeds rats who carry diseases, destroy and eat crops and food, chew electrical and telephone cables.

It encourages illness. It encourages crime as areas that are not taken care of are seen to be unprotected and therefore easier crime targets. It manifests in a culture of disrespect for others and areas that are shared by others It diminishes the pride people have in their environment. It creates a culture of lack of caring. It costs the council a lot more money to clean up the litter than it costs them to empty bins.

Why do people litter? They lack self respect - they don't care about themselves and therefore don't think that it's important that they live in a clean environment. They lack respect for others they don't care how their actions and behaviour impacts on others, and therefore don't think about how their littering effects others.

Lack of respect for the environment they don't care what the impact of their littering has on the environment in which they live.

 They don't want to take responsibility for cleaning up after themselves and taking care of their environment. They are lazy - it's easier to leave their rubbish on the ground, or throw it on the floor than find a bin. They think it's someone's job or they think they are creating work. (This is not correct, as so much litter is not collected and it causes environmental problems.) Imagine it is your turn at home to wash the dishes. Your family doesn't put their crockery and cutlery in the sink, but they leave each item lying around the house. You would need to go around and collect each plate, dish, cup, knife, fork, glass before you can wash the dishes. It's still your job to wash the dishes, only it takes longer and is more effort because no one helps by putting all the dishes in the sink.

Street cleaners and garbage collectors will still have their jobs - even if we don't litter. So let's be respectful and assist by putting our litter in the bin. They think it's acceptable in certain places to leave their litter. For example littering at places like cinema complexes, sports grounds, parks and theatres may incorrectly be seen as acceptable sites as someone is paid to clean up. And sometimes - they just don't know better.Discuss other reasons you think people litter. Do you litter? Why? Would you throw your litter on the floor in your house? NO Why? It's looks horrible and it's disrespectful to those we share our home with. Our country is our extended home that we share with millions of others. So respect those you share this country with - please keep it clean.

Please - Put your litter in the Bin! BiNiT Why put your litter in the bin? Litter left on the ground is unsightly. Also the wind picks up litter left on the ground and blows it around. It blows it into other areas. It blows it into areas that people care about. It makes the environment around us look ugly and uncared for.

 It gets into our waterways and negatively affects the quality of our water and kills the fish. It also breeds illnesses, breeds rats, effects birds and other animals, and causes many other problems in our environment. Areas filled with litter look like they are unattended to. Very often this attracts criminals because unattended areas are easier targets. Litter put into bins can be collected more efficiently by the garbage collectors - whether municipal garbage collectors or those that empty the bins at parks, sports fields, shopping centre or anywhere else. And what if there's no bin? Take your litter with you. Then put it in the bin at home or when you find a bin. Take pride in yourself &Take pride in your environment What can we do to make a difference? 1.Awareness: Look around your living space - neighbourhood, in your streets, at your school - in the classroom and outside. Look in public places -your parks, playing fields, shopping areas, streets, alongside highways. Notice the amount and type of litter - plastic bottles, cans, packets, chip packets, sweets wrappers, ice-cream wrappers, papers, other plastic and a lot more. Notice if the litter is ever collected. Notice if there is more or less litter at any given time - like a picnic or a sports event, or music concert. Notice if there is more litter on weekends or during the week.

2.Action Put your litter in the rubbish bin and not on the ground. whether it's in the classroom, at home, the shops, the sports field, the Zoo, or anywhere else you may be whether it's your ice-cream paper and stick or your chewing gum wrappers, or your cold drink can or plastic bottle or food container or wrapping or paper or anything else you are throwing away. Pick up litter at home or at school and put it in the bin.

 Pick up your litter after any event, outing or picnic and put it in the bin - if there is no bin available, take it with you and put it in your bin at home. Keep a plastic bag handy - if you are out & about - pick up a few pieces of litter and put into the closest bin. Although it's not nice to pick up litter it will make you think twice about dropping your own litter. Don't throw your litter thrown out of cars. it's dangerous if it hits the car behind or next to you; or if it hits a pedestrian who is walking along the roadside and it makes an unsightly mess on the roadside Arrange a community, neighbourhood or school clean- up. Respect your clean environment. Encourage others to do the same.

3.Education Educate others on why not to litter. If you see someone littering, tell them to put their litter in the bin. Discuss with your families why one shouldn't litter. Discuss with your schools, religious or community halls why there need to be enough bins in the above areas. If you can't get bins from the council buy them.

Littering

Litter is unsightly and dangerous. It often consists of plastic, metal or glass materials that do not break down easily in the environment. People, especially children, can be seriously injured by a broken bottle or a rusty piece of discarded metal. Medical and sanitary wastes are biohazards that can make people sick. Litter also destroys the beauty of parks and beaches, making people avoid these areas. Litter is deadly to wildlife, especially marine animals. Street litter washes into storm drains, into our waterways and ultimately ends up in the ocean. Some of this litter washes back up onto beaches. Some stays in the water, where it can kill wildlife. Entanglement causes animals to die slowly. Birds are particularly susceptible to entanglement as they collect material for their nests. A curious animal that ingests litter can die of starvation or malnutrition if the foreign object blocks the animal's intestinal tract. Litter can also smother and damage seabeds. Toxic substances from litter also accumulates in fish, exposing the people and animals further up the food chain to these pollutants.

The Effects of Littering on the Environment & Animals

Litter creates toxins and pollutants that are harmful to our environment and animals. Discarded garbage clogs our waterways, effects our soils, and may remain in landfills forever. Bottles and plastic sacks can create harmful environments for animals. They may ingest the plastic sacks and suffer from serious illness. Small animals crawl into bottles and jars looking for food and may become stuck and slowly starve to death. Recycle whenever possible and properly dispose of your garbage to avoid needless and harmful litter.

Plastic Discarding plastic products, including grocery sacks, rapidly fills up landfills and often clog drains. When plastic litter drifts out to sea, animals like turtles or dolphins may ingest the plastic. The plastic creates health problems for the animals including depleting their nutrients and blocking their stomachs and intestines. Animals cannot break down plastic in their digestive system and will usually die from the obstruction. Pieces of plastic can also get tangled around animals' bodies or heads and cause injury or death. Water Pollution Litter in our water supply from consumer and commercial use creates a toxic environment. The water is ingested by deer, fish and a variety of other animals. The toxins may cause blood clotting, seizures or serious medical issues that can kill animals. The toxic water may also kill off surrounding plant life on riverbanks and the bottom of a pond's ecosystem. When humans eat animals that have ingested compromised water supplies, they also can become sick. Soil Runoff from litter, polluted water, gasoline and consumer waste can infiltrate our soil. The soil absorbs the toxins litter creates and affects plants and crops. The agriculture is often compromised and fails to thrive. Animals then eat those crops or worms that live in the soil and may become sick. Humans who eat either the crops or the animals feeding on the infected agriculture can also become ill. Jars and Bottles Discarded jars and bottles usually do not biodegrade naturally and add to our mounting litter problem. The litter remains in our landfills and clog our sewers, streets, rivers and fields. Crabs, birds and small animals may crawl into the bottles looking for food and water and become stuck and slowly die from starvation and illness. The World Wide Fund for Nature reported some 1.5 million tons of plastic waste from the water bottling industry alone.

Litter is a serious pollution issue that affects our waterways, coastline and ocean - impacting on wildlife, human health and the marine environment.

Impacts on wildlife

Litter and marine debris in waterways pose a major threat to marine life. The main impacts on our wildlife include: Ingestion: Wildlife eat bottle caps, cigarette butts and lighters, fishing line, and a host of other objects. Ingestion of litter can cause marine wildlife to feel full, leading to starvation. Hard plastics and fishing hooks can also rupture internal organs. Entanglement: plastic debris can cause drowning, suffocation, strangulation, starvation and injuries including lethal cuts and wounds. Australian Seabird Rescue estimates that 94.04% of pelicans rescued suffer from fishing tackle hooking or entanglement.

Nearly a million seabirds are thought to die from entanglement or ingestion of floatable material each year (United Nations Environment Program). In Moreton Bay, threats to turtles include discarded fishing equipment and litter. Fishing tackle, fishing line, crab pots, ropes and plastic rubbish result in injuries or death from infection, amputation, choking and drowning. Entanglement in crab pots and loose ropes account for around 20 reported turtle deaths each year. Environmental, social and economic impacts

Toxicity plastic debris fragments can accumulate and transport persistent organic pollutants (POP) and carry them into the marine food web. Some POPs are highly toxic and there is now a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from these chemicals. Alien hitchhikers marine debris can travel very long distances, taking invasive species from habitat to habitat which is a significant threat to aquatic biodiversity. Ghost netting ghost nets are fishing nets that have been lost accidentally, deliberately discarded, or simply abandoned at sea. Considered as perpetual killing machines that never stop fishing, they impact on the sustainability of already stressed fisheries. Expensive clean ups litter collection and street sweeping cost local governments millions of dollars each year. Once litter reaches our waterways, it is very difficult to clean up. Degraded aesthetics litter is one of the most visible kinds of environmental degradation. It destroys the natural beauty of beaches, riverside parks and recreational waterways. Human health and safety litter such as broken glass, syringes, smouldering cigarette butts and personal hygiene products present human health and safety risks. Fishing and navigation litter in nets, catches contaminated by litter, fouled propellers and blocked intake pipes are a major cost to fishing and boating industries.

Littering & It Effects On The Environment

If everyone on Earth threw garbage and litter indiscriminately wherever they went, the world as we know it would soon be in ruins. Litter in our surroundings is an important environmental issue, which many people overlook. While a majority of people do know that littering is a bad thing, many continue to carelessly scatter their trash around nonetheless. There are a host of problems that stem from littering, and the environment has been suffering as a result of some people's inability to control this habit. Money is also wasted because of it. The government has to employ people to pick up trash, and that means funding from tax revenue. Littering can be hazardous to one's health as well. Trash in an area attracts vermin and bacteria. Broken glass and other sharp objects are dangerous when left in public places. Litter is harmful to wildlife as well. Plastic can cause animals such as birds to choke, when they mistake it for food. And, even worse, small bits of plastic can accumulate in the stomach of a bird, never digesting or decomposing, to the point where there is no more room for real food and the bird starves to death with a full stomach. Lastly, but most obviously, litter makes an area look bad. When a large amount of litter can be found in a particular environment, it reflects badly on the people who live there. Sources of Litter in the Environment Probably no one is completely innocent of ever littering. And the environment is what is essentially being punished by it. Pedestrians drop garbage in the streets. Motorists throw their trash out of their windows. Trailers, when not properly covered, can have some of their load blown away by the wind. Some households dispose of their garbage improperly and irresponsibly. Even commercial places of business are guilty of this one. Events which create large amounts of litter can overflow to other neighboring areas, if their organizers don't plan things right. Construction sites can produce significant amounts of litter, due to improper waste management. These are just some examples of the sources of litter your our areas. Misconceptions There are misconceptions about what constitutes litter. Some people think that if an item is organic (and will "turn into dirt") it's alright to throw it anywhere. Banana peels, apple cores, and the like, are just some things that come to mind on this one. But in reality, throwing garbage around, organic or otherwise, is littering. And the environment is adversely affected by it. Why do people litter? Quite frankly, the main reason is simple laziness. Our environment can be made much more attractive if people simply use garbage cans properly.If you have garbage to dispose of, and there's isn't a garbage can nearby, then wrap your trash up (in a napkin, plastic, paper bag, etc) and place it in your pocket or carry it with you until you reach a garbage can. Also, make sure that the trash actually goes into the garbage can, and does not fall to the side. When we dispose of our garbage properly, instead of polluting our environment, it does more than just help our locale to look good - we all feel better about it as well.