Littering

          The bigger the population, the harder and more important it becomes that the individuals cooperate and work together to create a better community. One of the common results of failure of cooperation within these communities is littering.

          Littering is becoming more and more of a problem in communities both big and small. It is caused by irresponsibility of the individuals and is left to grow by the irresponsibility of the community. Littering still grows today all around the world, and the effects are more severe than one my think; bad appearance is just the beginning of its negative effects on the environment.

          One of the places that I have been with the least individual awareness of the importance of communities’ environmental welfare was South Korea. It was hard for me to step on the ground in a public area without stepping on a littered object, most of the times spit-out gums and used cigarettes. These sights were seen not just on random sidewalks and streets, but also even on major parks where a lot of people usually visited to enjoy various activities. I was very disappointed. Some people would spend hours decorating and cleaning their house to satisfy themselves and possible guests, but they wouldn’t give even a hint of remorse with littering on a public domain. I thought to myself, who litters, and why do they litter?

          But first of all, I would like to address the problems that littering cause. First is the appearance of public places. It may not sound like a big deal, but it can make people less appreciative of the environment, and therefore less responsible. This will lead to even more littering, which will keep on and grow exponentially.

          Then this littering will lead to destruction of the environment caused by the release of toxins from the waste. These toxins are hazardous for plants and animals that eat the plants, and will continuously affect the nearby environment. Some of the wastes might end up in nearby rivers or oceans and cause animals to choke on them, and possibly kill. Also, if the litter gets into the canals, it could pollute the water supplies.

          Many of these litters could last thousands of years without fully decomposing. Plastic and aluminum can affect plant growth and pollute the soil for all those period of time, if not picked up and thrown away. Littering has affected environments in tons of communities around the world, and despite the effort to stop littering, it still continues as people’s arrogance and lack of appreciation continues.

          But why do people litter? Why can’t they take one simple step to hold on to it until they find trash receptacle? The simplest answer to that might be that many people are too lazy to care about a small trash. Many of the times, trash is found just few meters away from the garbage can. However, people who believe that littering is wrong are less likely to do so.

          Another reason for littering is another litter. Similar to the Broken Window Theory, which suggests that people are more likely to commit crime in places that are untidy and disorderly, people are more likely to feel less responsible for the environment if it already has been messed with. This suggests that people will significantly reduce littering if the environment of a public place is perfectly orderly and clean.

          Last but not least, may litter simply because they do not feel the need to keep the environment clean for themselves. They either think that someone else will clean them up, or that it does not matter how clean or dirty an environment is.

          Reducing littering is a simple step as an individual, but a big assignment for a community. As an individual, it is easy for us to simply take one more step to find a legitimate receptacle for garbage. It will significantly improve the condition of the environment, and people will learn to appreciate it more and be motivated to keep it clean. As a community, it is important to emphasize the importance of the acts as an individual. Placing more nearby trash receptacles and no-littering signs will also help people rethink their choices of littering.