Cause and Effect Of Littering: Opinion Essay

You are going on a walk and you slip and fall from banana peels and cut your leg with broken glass. Well, that is what happens when people litter. Why do people litter? Well, according to the site called, ‘‘City of Chicago,” people litter because they do not feel responsible for public areas like streets and parks. … People usually litter outside their own neighbourhood where their trash becomes someone else’s problem. People litter because they believe someone else —a maintenance worker or responsible neighbour — will pick up after them. (https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/streets/supp_info/whypeoplelitter.html)

Littering causes harmful, dirty, and unhealthy environments for both animals and humans. The site, “Education.seattlepi.com” it says, “Humans, animals, and plants all need unpolluted water to survive. Litter can also clog storm-water drains and cause flooding. Food scraps and other organic items that are disposed of improperly can increase algal blooms in water, which reduces the amount of available oxygen for other aquatic life, such as fish.” (https://education.seattlepi.com/littering-affect-environment-6802.html) It makes it harder to live in a healthy environment with all this littering. We can’t drink clean, fresh water if we don’t stop this problem. Especially animals in the ocean have a hard time surviving because most trash, food scraps, and other garbage go into the ocean. Which causes marine mammals to get tangled, eat plastic, and suffocate. “According to the United Nations, at least 800 species worldwide are affected by marine debris, and as much as 80 per cent of that litter is plastic. … Fish, seabirds, sea turtles, and marine mammals can become entangled in or ingest plastic debris, causing suffocation, starvation, and drowning.” (https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2018/09/24/plastic-pollution-affects-sea-life-throughout-the-ocean)

Littering affects the soil, water, and air pollution. Hazardous chemicals can leach out of the litter and pollute the soil and water bodies located nearby. These toxins then enter the human body via the food chain. The contaminants also stunt plant growth and cause health issues in animals living in the area, says “WorldAtlas.com” (https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-are-the-harmful-effects-of-littering.html). All the trash, plastic, and garbage goes out into the sea, where all the aquatic animals live. Dolphins, turtles, and other sea animals digest the plastic or get tangled in trash bags and drown. Many animals like deer and fish drink the polluted water and get sick. Humans also eat these animals and might get sick too. Sciencing.com says, “Discarded jars and bottles usually do not biodegrade naturally and add to humanity’s mounting litter problem. The litter remains in landfills and clogs sewers, streets, rivers and fields. Crabs, birds and small animals may crawl into the bottles looking for food and water and become stuck and slowly die from starvation and illness.” (https://sciencing.com/ effects-littering-environment-animals-8634413.html)

Sicknesses and diseases are caused by the trash people carelessly throw on the ground. “Which is why hundred thousands of turtles, dolphins, whales, and seals die every year around the world.” (http://www.perseus-net.eu/site/content.php?locale=1&sel=517&artid=565) Conserve Energy Future.com tells us that, “Littering can encourage the spread of pest species and diseases. The trash can provide a breeding ground for diseases and pass it between animals that eat it. If the trash collects water it may also harbour mosquitoes that are known to spread the deadly malaria disease in tropic regions.” (https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-problems-solutions-littering.php)

Germs and bacteria can spread through the trash people throw away. It can even be carried through the pets you bring home, which might as well get you sick too.

Do you know how much people litter around the world? Well, “CreditDonkey.com,” says, “The average person produces about 4.4 pounds of garbage each day. While 75% of the waste we produce is recyclable, only about 30% actually makes it to a recycling center. If that were increased, it could drastically cut down on the amount of trash that winds up as litter.” There are 9 billion tons of garbage in the world right now, stated by “www. Envstd.com.” 11.5 billion dollars are used just to clean up all this litter every year. (https://www.envstd.com/now-thats- what-i-call-litter/) 75% have admitted to littering for the past 5 years. Most people don’t recycle plastic cans, bags, and paper, which is why only 30% of all the trash goes to the recycling center.

Wouldn’t you like to see clean streets, roads, highways, and other residential places? If all these places were clean, nobody would get injured or sick. Littering is the main cause of an unclean, unhealthy community. It is important to keep the environment because humans and animals live. Keeping the Earth clean means that you care about nature and the ecosystem. It is necessary to keep this environment clean to drink fresh water, eat clean fruits and vegetables, and reduce air and water pollution. To stop this littering we must throw away trash at the proper places, recycle all plastics, and use recyclable products, such as reusable straws and water bottles. Littering affects the whole world, starting from humans to animals to plants.

Citing:

1. “City of Chicago” (https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/streets/supp_info/whypeoplelitter.html)
2. “Education.seattlepi.com” (https://education.seattlepi.com/littering-affect-environment-6802.html)
3. https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2018/09/24/plastic-pollution-affects-sea-life-throughout-the-ocean)
4. “WorldAtlas.com” (https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-are-the-harmful-effects-of-littering.html)
5. (https://sciencing.com/effects-littering-environment-animals-8634413.html)
6. (http://www.perseus-net.eu/site/content.php?locale=1&sel=517&artid=565)
7. (https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-problems-solutions-littering.php)
8. “CreditDonkey.com”
9. “www. Envstd.com.” (https://www.envstd.com/now-thats-what-i-call-litter/)