Introduction

Littering and dumping have been so common in the modern world. Despite several people understanding the dangerous effects associated with it, a lot of people still do litter and dump everywhere. It is important to understand the major effects of littering on environment and our own health and discourage it with the strongest terms possible. It is important to teach people on the importance of taking care of the environment. It is also important to make the society understand that littering does not only affect the environment but also causes harm to animals and people , damages water ways and it is also costly. It is therefore important that we do something to help prevent and reduce litter in the society (Porter).

Discussion

As much as we want to reduce littering and dumping in our society, it is essential that we understand the reasons why people litter. From previous research and experiences, it is evident that people litter as a result of individual behavior. Some people just choose to litter or being careless in handling of waste. Once some litter is on the ground, it attracts more litter thus making a heap of litter. After understanding this, the community can discourage the people from littering thus improving the community appearance quality of life (Garton).

In order to discourage people from littering, it is important that they understand the negative effects associated with littering. The society should be made to understand that litter can cause numerous problems for everyone in the community as well as to the environment and other creatures within the community. For instance, litter discarded in our streets can be carried by storms to our rivers and creeks thus causing harm to us and also to the water life. The water in such rivers can also be very dangerous for human consumption (Porter).

The society must also understand that litter is a great threat to the public health. Littering will always result to health hazard to the community. This is because it attracts vermin and is a breeding ground for bacteria. These bacteria are responsible for many human illness and diseases. The dump sites can also be a hub for dangerous insects and pests which are critical to human health. For instance, dumping can be a breeding hub for mosquitoes which can be dangerous in spreading malaria. Items such as glass and syringes can be hazardous in public places.

It is also important to understand that littering is a very expensive exercise. The society should know that removing litter from the environment costs everyone money since in most cases it is done using tax payers money (Forbes). If there was no litter, these funds could be utilized in other useful means such as construction of bridges and roads. Litter also causes diseases to human which are treated using money from the affected persons. It is therefore important that the community understand that continuous littering can lead to increased level of poverty in a society. For instance, U.S. spends 11.5 billion dollars on litter clean up every year which is a great sum of money which can be used in other meaningful uses for development.

Littering has also been very disastrous to wildlife which has lead to their deaths.  It has been witnessed animals getting trapped or being poisoned with litter within their habitats. Cigarette butts and filters, which are the most common forms of littering, have been threat to wildlife and have been found in the stomachs of fish, birds and whales who have mistaken them for food. The litter can also trap these animals thus putting them in a state of discomfort. Broken glasses and other dangerous litters have also been disastrous to the animals since they lacerate paws of dogs, cats and other small animals. Litters have also been known to have poisoned several animals as they search for something to eat (Garton).

Littering is also responsible for spreading toxins within the environment thus becoming very dangerous to the environment. In most cases, both packaging and contents of packages often have toxic contents. After littering, these toxins spill out of the litter, they become part of the soil around the litter. After these toxins become part of the soil, it damages plant and animal life in the area.  When the rain comes, the toxins eventually erode into the water supply, causing serious consequences for plant and animal life within. For instance, these toxins kill the animals in these water bodies thus bringing about heavy losses (Porter). This problem can even be more disastrous if human beings consume toxified fish which can be very detrimental to human health.

Litter looks bad and in turn negatively affects the image of places, especially the appearance of communities. It makes the environment look far less pristine and pleasant to the society. When an environment looks like it is covered in garbage, people are much less responsible with the way they handle their waste. With more litter on the ground, people are likely to litter more. Scattered bits of litter in a certain area make some people inclined to dump large amounts of trash there rather than paying to get it disposed. This ends up taking a significant toll on the environment (Garton).

Littering can only be minimized if we understand who bears great responsibility in littering. The most vulnerable group in littering is cigarette smokers who dump filters and butt everywhere. Cigarette smokers should even be more careful since these filters can cause fire. Pedestrians and motorists are also actively involved in dropping garbage in streets and roadsides. Households refuse as well as commercial refuse and disposal are also common source of littering.

After understanding all these causes of littering, it is important to put in place measures that will eradicate the menace of littering. A clean and unlittered environment is very important since it will provide a conducive environment for human, plant and animal life. Members of the society as well as the local authorities should work tirelessly to ensure that the environment is not littered.  With all the advantages associated with a clean environment, it is very important to put in place measures and mechanisms that will ensure that people will stop the littering habit (Forbes).

To start with, there should be civic education forums aimed at educating the public. It is the obligation of the society to organize educational forums where the general public is enlightened on the dangers of littering. The community should also teach the community on the benefits associated with a clean environment. These training forums will be very instrumental in changing behavior of those individual with behavior of littering everywhere.

The other major step that should be taken is to put in place stringent rules and regulation to govern the littering exercise.  Very strict rules should be put in place to discourage dumping by ignorant citizens. Government should ensure that those who engage in careless littering are taken to court and charged exorbitant fines or long jail terms. This will ensure that most of people will not engage in littering since they will fear the huge fines and jail terms. The fines collected from such offenders can also be used to clean the littered areas (Porter).

The local authority must also be actively involved in ensuring that littered placed are cleaned regularly. As it has been discussed earlier, it is clear that people will tend to litter more in already littered places. The cumulated litter is even more hazardous and leads to air pollution. If the authorities ensure regular garbage collection in littered areas will lead to a clean environment (Forbes). The authority should also ensure that there are enough dust bins within the streets to discourage people from dropping garbage everywhere. This will help achieve a clean environment suitable for human and animal survival.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is important to understand that littering is a very bad habit which can lead to health hazard to the community. Littering has also been very dangerous to flora and fauna and should be discouraged with the strongest terms possible. Though several mechanisms and measures may be put in place to ensure that littering is minimized or stopped, it is essential to understand that littering is done by human being either knowingly or unknowingly (“Case Study: How We Changed The Behavior Of Littering | Sustainable Brands”).  It is therefore important to ensure that we instill a behavior to members of the society to understand that littering is wrong. Very aggressive campaigns should be carried out to sensitize the public on how it is bad to litter. This will be the most effective means of eradicating this menace.

Work Cited

“Case Study: How We Changed The Behavior Of Littering | Sustainable Brands”. sustainablebrands.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 19 Nov. 2016.

Forbes, Gerry J. Reducing Litter On Roadsides. 1st ed. Washington, D.C.: Transportation Research Board, 2009. Print.

Garton, Jeannine Vassar. Thank You For Littering. 1st ed. Print.

Porter, Richard C. The Economics Of Waste. 1st ed. Washington, DC: Resources for the Future, 2002. Print.

Do you need an Original High Quality Academic Custom Essay?