Freespirits, Freestylin and Nature


On Being Trashy
March 13, 2007, 5:01 pm
Filed under: Keep America Beautiful, Redude reuse recycle, care, decompose, eco-system, environment, family, food, litter, pollution, stats, trash

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I ran across some interesting statistics on trash here in Missouri.   People either do not stop to think about the things they use and throw away or they just do not care.  For those who do not care I would recommend an attitude adjustment session.

Type of Litter Percentage
Fast Food Waste (33%)
Paper (29%)
Aluminum (28%)
Glass (6%)
Plastic (2%)
Other (2%)

Source: Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) survey of Adopt-A-Highway volunteers – 1994

 Here is how long it takes some things to decompose…..

Object Decomposition Time
Styrofoam container > 1 million years
Plastic jug 1 million years
Aluminum can 200-500 years
Disposable diaper 550 years
Tinned can 90 years
Leather shoe 45 years
Wool sock 1 year
Paper bag 1 month
Banana peel 3-4 weeks

The next time you grab a cup of coffee in a styrofoam cup, think about the one million PLUS years it will take for that cup to decompose.

Primary sources of litter: (KAB Research, 1998)

  • Pedestrians
  • Drivers
  • Household garbage cans
  • Commercial dumpsters
  • Demolition Sites
  • Loading Docks
  • Trucks With Uncovered Backs

Five types of people with respect to litter:

  • Non-litterers – environmentally conscious, don’t litter and usually pick up litter of others
  • Inconvenients – too hard, too much trouble, someone else’s problem
  • Ignorants – these people are simply unaware of a link between the environment and their litter behavior
  • Willful Arrogants – usually litter in a context, i.e. “It’s okay to litter in urban areas but not in the country”
  • Anti-establishments – make a statement with purposeful littering

Let’s wake up everyone and be responsible with our actions!!  Look for recycling centers in your local area, they are there!!

Stats from www.nomoretrash.org 

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