Today, there are thousands of pieces of trash scattered around the world, but not all of it is plastic. For instance, out of the trillions of pieces of litter around the world the most common are plastic, paper, metal, glass, and other. Out of all of these, plastic is the leading cause of litter with 52.3 of all litter being plastic. Coming in second is other types of litter such as cigarette buds, with it taking up 27.7 percent of all litter around the world. Taking the 3rd spot is paper with it acquiring 15.9 percent of all litter. Most people would suspect paper to be a leading cause of litter because of the amount of paper we use everyday. With the 4th and 5th spots are metal and glass with a percentage of a little under 5 percent of all litter around the world. Overall, these are the most common types of litter all around the world.
Litter is found everywhere including parking lots, alleyways, and the ocean. Through research people have found the most common places people have littered. First off, is roadway litter, probably the most known place to litter. Studies have shown that people are more likely to litter while on the move, like throwing plastic out the window. Motorists are most likely to litter, with most litter on the streets coming from motorists, at an astonishing 52 percent. Additionally, on the streets tobacco products such as cigarette buds are the most common piece of trash found with millions of them scattered everywhere around the world. The next and final destination where most litter is found is at transition points or places where people have to diragard items before entering. The items here are most commonly confection items such as gum, chocolate, and candy. These items take up 53.7 percent of litter found in these areas. In the end, this is where most litter is found around the world.