Quotes on Littering
Opinionated quotations from the famous and not-so-famous.
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If You See A Piece of Litter Pick It Up!
Littering is generally considered antisocial, unhealthy, and visually distasteful. It is also harmful to the environment and uses up a substantial part of community funds for cleaning.
Persuasive Trash Cans Activation of Littering Norm by Design
One of the strongest contributors to littering is the prevalence of existing litter. Consistently in our results, we find that litter begets litter. Individuals are much more likely to litter into littered environments (as seen in the observational studies), and they are less likely to report littering into beautified environments (from the telephone survey). These findings strongly support the need for ongoing clean-up and beautification efforts. . . . Posting litter prevention messages or signs in already-littered environments is likely to exacerbate the littering problem, rather than fix it."
Litter in America: 2009 National Litter Research Findings and Recommendations by Keep America Beautiful
A thesis known as the broken windows theory suggests that signs of disorderly and petty criminal behavior trigger more disorderly and petty criminal behavior, thus causing the behavior to spread. This may cause neighborhoods to decay and the quality of life of its inhabitants to deteriorate.
The Spreading of Disorder from Science Magazine
One thing research has proven is that it is tough to label an individual as a “litterer.” One may litter in certain situations, but not in another. Littering is not a consistent behavior. Individuals can be influenced by a number of factors, including a belief that an item is not litter (such as a cigarette butt or banana peel), laziness, perceived lack of consequences for their actions, seeing litter already in a given area, or a lack of trash receptacles.
The real reason for this $100 cigarette butt-throwing fine is (a.) we don't want litter on our streets and (b.) it costs a lot of money to clean up. When I tell you we get 5,000 butts a week, I'm not exaggerating. It's horrendous.
Clif Madrack (adapted)
Before you throw that cigarette butt, remember, that's fire burning at the end of that cancer stick. You are responsible for any property damage or lives lost because of your careless act.
Duane Alan Hahn
The Cost of Littering
Keep your butts in the car. Cigarette butts are one of the most common litter items that are deliberately tossed from vehicles. It can take many years for cigarette butts to decompose, and when it rains, the toxic chemicals in cigarettes make their way into our water supply. Throwing cigarette butts out of car windows also increases the risk of costly wildfires.
“I’m not going to just let litter sit there. I’m not going to just walk past that plastic bottle,” said plogger and Alexandria resident Emily Wright. “It’s not that I don’t think it’s gross to pick it up. I do. But I also think it’s gross for a person to not take responsibility for it.”
‘Plogging’ Swedish fitness craze is coming to the US from The Washington Post
Remember, don’t yell at or argue with any litterbugs. Many people will automatically stop littering after their area is cleaned up. There is a good chance that the druggies, the demoralized, and the dumbasses will litter no matter what you say or do, so cheerfully pick up the litter and move on. A person who doesn’t get why littering is a bad thing is similar to a horse pooping in the middle of the street. Arguing with the horse isn’t going to change anything, so shut up and grab a shovel.
Duane Alan Hahn
It’s a simple thing to do, but not a common one. However, just imagine the consequences if everyone who visited a beach or natural area took out whatever trash they spotted. Or, in places where there’s sadly too much litter to count, a set number—like 50 pieces. Besides not littering in the first place, obviously, it’s one direct, impactful thing people of all ages can do when we find trash.
Are you one of the ‘weirdos’ who picks up litter? from Mother Nature Network
I never pick up litter with my bare hands. I use Grabbers (#ad) or I wear nitrile gloves (#ad) or work gloves (#ad) if I must pick up something with my hands.
Duane Alan Hahn
Research shows that individuals under age 30 are more likely to litter than those who are older. In fact, age, and not gender, is a significant predictor of littering behavior. You can teach your children and their friends about litter, recycling and the importance of personal responsibility. By giving them a head start, they’ll not only be less likely to litter when they grow up, they’ll be more likely to pass this behavior on to the next generation.
5 Easy Ways to Volunteer for a Cleaner World from createthegood.org
Littering
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Read these quotes and any adapted quotes at your own risk. (An adapted quote is a quote I have edited in some way to make it clearer or shorter so I can understand it better.) View this page and any external web sites at your own risk. I am not responsible for any possible spiritual, emotional, physical, financial or any other damage to you, your friends, family, ancestors, or descendants in the past, present, or future, living or dead, in this dimension or any other.