It's not just unsightly: Five major consequences of littering
Growing up in Washington County, I realized that there was a lot of litter around my community. I used to think that not throwing your trash along the road, in someone’s yard or on the ground was a common courtesy.
The older I get, the more I realize others do not agree. As someone who has lived here their whole life, I think it’s important to hold everyone in our community responsible for keeping it clean.
Everyone knows that littering has a negative effect on the environment and animals, but what about its effects on us? There are five major ways littering is affecting our community without us even realizing.
The clean-up: Littering is only unintentional 40% of the time, meaning that 60% of Americans who litter are doing it purposely. According to the University of Maryland, approximately 35% of roadside litter is being picked up by maintenance crews who are hired by the government using our tax money. The United States alone spends more than $11.5 billion each year on litter clean-up. This implies that even individuals who do not litter, are still facing the consequences of other citizen’s littering habits.
Diseases: Littering spreads germs and bacteria into the community. An estimated 60% of water pollution is caused by litter. Diseases like cholera, an acute diarrheal illness, and typhoid, a life-threatening infection caused by bacteria, can infiltrate bodies of water in our community, leaving many people sick. Researchers have also estimated that more than 40% of Earth’s litter is burned. The burning of litter can go into the air and release toxic emissions, much like the ones that come from cars, and cause respiratory issues and other health issues.
Pests: A lot of unwanted insects, such as fruit flies, and sewer rats are attracted to the bacterial breeding grounds of the piles of litter. Not only do we welcome those pests into our community with litter, it can also attract animals that prey on these pests, such as snakes, which can be harmful to human lives as well.
Waterways: Littering is also commonly known to clog, block or disrupt drainage pipes and sewer channels after precipitation carries litter that ends up in these areas. This blockage can cause water pipes to burst, which causes sewage to be released or flooding in some areas. This is also associated with spreading diseases.
Mindset: People who litter think it is not their problem. It’s also common for people to see litter, then litter themselves because others did it first. People believe that if litter is already on the ground, their own littering habits do not matter. This leads to litter pile ups which lead to all the other issues stated above. Littering is selfish and can show a complete disregard to others' health and well-being in our community.
As a citizen of Washington County, I think it’s crucial to keep our towns clean. Being so close to the Potomac and Chesapeake Bay grants us, as a community, a great responsibility to ensure that we keep those bodies of water clean, along with busy roadways such as Dual Highway, Sharpsburg Pike, Interstate 70 and other heavy traffic roads in our county. If you see trash along the road, in a yard or even floating in the water, picking it up and disposing of it in an appropriate way, will spark a lot of positive change in our community.
Emily Burke is a sophomore at McDaniel College in Westminster, Md., from Keedysville who attended Boonsboro High School.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Littering affects more than just the environment; it affects us all
