General Litter Facts
Most Common Places We Find Litter
Roadsides
About half of the litter on roadsides is caused by people. The items mostly found are cigarette butts, paper, and plastic. Besides people, improperly covered trucks and containers contribute to roadside litter.
Beaches
Beach litter comes from many different sources and enters the ocean in many ways. Every day 8 million plastic pieces find their way to the ocean. When someone litters on the street or in a parking lot, rainwater can move the trash into storm drains. These drains empty into streams, rivers, and other bodies of water that lead to our beaches and oceans.
Over 1 million marine animals (including mammals, fish, sharks, turtles, and birds) are killed each year due to plastic debris in the ocean. Currently, it is estimated that there are 100 million tons of plastic in oceans around the world.
Parks and Playgrounds
Litter is often found in parks and on playgrounds. Litter is ugly and harmful. If a park has litter on the ground, other people are more likely to litter there too. People should always put their litter in a garbage can or take it with them.
Parking Lots
Parking lots are high traffic areas. They end up accumulating litter on a daily basis. Common items found in parking lots are packaging, bags, food and snack wrappers, cigarette butts, and plastic bottles.
Commercial Areas
Commercial areas such as malls, shopping centers, and convenient stores accumulate litter regularly.
Storm Drains
Litter often gets swept away with rain water into storm drains. The drains empty into streams, rivers, and other bodies of water. It then ends up emptying into our oceans and washing up on our beaches. Harmful chemicals are also washed down drains and can have very harmful effects.
TRASH TALK: Where Does Marine Debris Come From?
Please Don't Litter
PPE Litter Fact:
As a result of Covid-19 we now see PPE items scattered all over the ground. Masks and plastic gloves are being thrown all over. This poses a threat to our environment as well as our health and the health of animals.
