Litter: Waste and Tidy Environmental Charity Essay examples

Submitted By Chelsie-Robertson
Words: 713
Pages: 3

Litter will be the end to life!
Admit it! Go on dare you! You have dropped at least one piece of litter. I won’t tell anyone, well just the people you are harming and the wildlife that is being destroyed and the 33000 unemployed people. Also tell everyone that has to look at the sickly sight of rubbish on the ground.
Have you ever considered yourself as a murderer? The cans of energy drinks, Burnside boxes and mix-up packets are potentially killing wildlife. About 18 percent of litter, usually traveling through water systems, ends up in local streams, rivers, and waterways. Uncollected litter can accrete and flow into streams. Litter in the ocean either washes up on beaches or collects in Ocean gyres such as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Larger hazardous items such as tires, appliances and electronics are often dumped in isolated locations, such as National Forests. With the litter dumped here Animals may get trapped or poisoned with litter in their habitats. Cigarette butts and filters are a threat to wildlife and have been found in the stomachs of fish, birds and whales, who have mistaken them for food. Also animals can get trapped in the rubbish and be in serious discomfort. For example, the plastic used to hold beverage cans together can get wrapped around animals' necks and cause them to suffocate as they grow. Other instances where animals could be harmed by litter include broken glass lacerating the paws of dogs, cats, and other small mammals. Hazardous materials contained within litter and illegally dumped rubbish can leach into water sources, contaminate soil and pollute the air.
Keep Britain Tidy is a British campaign run by the Keep Britain Tidy environmental charity, which is part funded by the U.K. government. Cigarette butts are the most littered item in the world, with 4.5 trillion discarded annually. Cigarette butts can take up to five years to completely break down. Litter can remain either visible for extended periods of time before it eventually biodegrades, with some items made of condensed glass, Styrofoam or plastic possibly remaining in the environment for over a million years. Statistics in 2003 showed metal/aluminium soft drink cans as the least littered item. Some countries and local authorities have introduced legislation to address the problem. Fines can include on-the-spot fines for individuals administered by authorised officers in public or on public transport or littering from a vehicle, in which the vehicle owner is reported and fined. The growing piles of waste led to the spread of disease.
It is a human impact on the environment and is a serious environmental issue in many countries. Litter can affect quality of life. Litter can harm humans and the environment in different ways.