Litter and its problems

Throwing away a piece of rubbish is inevitable, what matters is where the rubbish goes.

Littering is a problem that happens across the world causing multiple issues that are growing.

Plastic is one of the leading polluting materials which is why litter is such a large problem. Plastic items can take up to 1,000 years to degrade, longer than any other material.

Massive amounts of animals die as a result of littering. 100,000 marine mammals and a million seabirds die from plastic pollution every year, as they often confuse bags for jelly fish and other prey.

Left: Photo by Surfers against sewage Right: Photo by The Terramar Prodject.

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Five problems caused by littering:

1) Damage to the wildlife. Debris can become toxic food for animals and they can get tangled up in the unwanted items.

2) Environmental pollution. Litter can make soil or waterways toxic from the leftover chemicals left in the litter.

3) Eyesore. People are less likely to visit a location where there is litter there as it makes a place unsociable.

4) It can be dangerous. People can hurt themselves on litter, for instance broken glass can cause serious harm.

5) It can help spread disease. Rubbish can facilitate a breeding ground for disease bringing more pests to a polluted area can mean disease can move quickly through the animals and then to us.

volunteers collecting litter by Nick Rawsthorne

Littering can harmful in many ways, yet the action of littering is often overlooked.

There are ways in which you can reduce the amount of litter within an area through actions as simple as being mindful of what you do.

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Five ways to reduce littering:

1) Be conscientious. Make an effort to discard of your rubbish responsibly rather than quickly.

2) Put up signs. Anti-littering signs could discourage litterers from disposing in an area.

3) Go litter picking. When you go out for a walk take some gloves and a bag to collect the litter that you see.

4) Re-use items. Instead of throwing a container away re-use it or take re-usable containers out with you to ensure you will not need to throw anything away.

5) Put up litter bins. Encourage your local councils to put up litter bins in areas you know have persistent litter issues.

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Video on the plastics within the ocean, by National Geographic.

Get involved to help clean up Lincoln and go out to clean up with friends or by yourself.