Litter in the World

Litter is seen all over the place, on the streets, sidewalks, and even in our bodies of water. Most people only consider trash such as bottles, paper, and cans as litter, but the biggest culprit is the little cigarette butt. Cigarettes are littered in massive amounts; if you are standing at a bus stop you could count out 20 littered cigarettes automatically. Not only do they look bad and slovenly, but they also take 12 years to break down and all the while leak harmful chemicals into the environment. These harmful chemicals find their way into our rivers, streams, oceans, and soil. Due to litter, non-smokers are even more affected by cigarettes. Not only is smoking bad for your body, but it is also bad for the environment. The other leaders in litter are snack wrappers, fast food take-out bags and cups, and plastic objects. These take millions of years to decompose; not only that but, they put toxins into the soil and water and they also kill wildlife. As of 2011, over 90,000 marine wildlife alone were harmed from human litter and garbage. Land animal numbers exceed well over one million, and growing. A trash heap the size of Texas is floating in the Pacific Ocean right now, harming marine wildlife. Litter affects us in vast ways, it contaminates the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the ground we walk on. The top causes of litter include: Construction and demolition sites, households, industries, uncovered cargo trucks, pedestrians, and moving vehicles. Other causes include: lazy people, drivers, specifically labeled garbage cans, and not paying attention. Litter cannot be completely eliminated, but it can be greatly reduced by throwing away garbage, recycling, picking up scattered litter, and being more attentive. Trash spreads many diseases and in turn makes animals and people sick, leading to an overall unhealthy world. In this age, everyone wants to be healthy, but fail to realize the easiest step: throwing away garbage. Please do not litter and if you see trash pick it up and throw it away.