Litter Facts & How to Help:

What exactly is litter?
Litter is waste. It is anything we throw away that cannot be used anymore, has served its purpose, or is broken.

Why is litter harmful to the environment?
Litter detracts from the natural beauty of an area. It can kill or stunt plant growth. Small animals can get stuck in litter (jars, containers) and starve to death. Animals can eat plastic and get sick from it. They can get entangled in litter as well.

Why is litter bad for waterways?
Aquatic trash can have negative impacts on recreation, tourism, and the economy. Aquatic trash can lead to declining fish populations and can be harmful to waterfowl.

Once trash escapes into the environment, cleaning it up is expensive, and this economic burden often falls on local governments and their residents.

Trash can travel throughout the world’s rivers and oceans, accumulating on land and in hard-to-reach areas. This debris harms physical habitats, transports chemical pollutants, threatens aquatic life, and interferes with human uses of river, marine, and coastal environments.

When litter happens – who cleans it up?
Littering is a BIG problem. City staff and contractors will clean litter as they can. Volunteers will help by doing clean up efforts. Litter is expensive! The state of Texas spends almost $50 million each year to pick up litter.

How can you help?
You can help by learning about and practicing the three R’s of waste management: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle! Practicing all three of these activities every day is not only important for a healthy environment, but it can also be fun too. So let’s take a minute right now to learn more about waste and waste management, so you can become a key player in making our world a safe and healthy place.

Get Involved by working with our Corporate Clean Up program https://www.cor.net/departments/health-department or on your walk in parks, help throw away trash.

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