On Being Trashy
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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
Filed under: Keep America Beautiful, Redude reuse recycle, care, decompose, eco-system, environment, family, food, litter, pollution, stats, trash
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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The Parthenon is in ruins, but plastic is forever. That is why I use the packaging I do for my soap and for my candles and body care. I am not going to make a deodorant solid because I cannot find a recycleable or biodegradable package to put it in. That makes me sad.
Have you been to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch site yet? There are more bits of plastic int he ocean than there are plankton in a lot of parts….fish are being found with plastic IN THEIR BODIES! it is frightening and we only have ourselves to blame!
Comment by Country Witch March 13, 2007 @ 5:32 pmNo I haven’t been to that site but I will check it out. That is such a shame. Do people have no respect for life beyond their own? And that said, they don’t respect their own if they are trashing their world. It makes me very angry!!!!
Comment by mustangsuzie March 13, 2007 @ 5:37 pmI just went to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch…that is inexcusable. Everyone thought the invention of plastic was such a great thing and now look what it has done! I make a conscious effort not to buy anything in plastic, and when I do it has to be a plastic that can be recycled. We have done so much damage to our mother earth in the past 100 years. We all need to be doing everything we can and more to stop this destruction!!
Comment by mustangsuzie March 13, 2007 @ 5:46 pm