As companies move away from plastic straws, environmental advocates say these items aren’t the worst litter offender. Plastic straws didn’t even make it into the organization’s top five most common forms of litter, according to Keep America Beautiful’s latest study. Cigarette butts, paper, food wrappers, confections and napkins/tissues topped the list.
While some of these items might get into the environment by accident, experts say in most cases, people are to blame. “The products themselves generally aren’t bad in and of themselves,” said Mark Dancy, president of Waste Zero, which leads hundreds of waste-reduction programs nationwide. “They become bad if you don’t recycle them. The worst is if they become litter.”
Here are some of the most common items littering the nation:
Cigarette butts—The Ocean Conservancy collected more than 2.4 million cigarette butts with plastic filters along the world’s beaches and waterways, according to its 2018 report. Most cigarette filters are made of a form of plastic that isn’t biodegradeable. So, they can remain in the environment for months or years, and are known to start wildfires.
Fast food wrappers and cups—Plastic, paper and Styrofoam cups are a common find among California’s roadways. The California Department of Transportation’s litter removal totaled about $67 million last year.
Plastic bags—Plastic bags, both empty and full of trash, are among some of the most prevalent pieces of litter in New York, according to the New York State Department of Transportation. The department reports collecting more than 73,000 bags of trash and other litter between April 2017 and March 2018. Plastic bags – actually, plastic of any kind – is also a huge problem in coastal areas, where advocates report turtles, birds and sea mammals eating the litter, which can clog animals’ digestive tracts.
Food—Some don’t realize that by tossing an apple core out the window, they are littering. Aside from making areas dirty, leftover food can also attract animals to busy roadways, which poses serious risks to the animals and motorists.
Other common litter offenders:
- Tissues
- Receipts
- Gum wrappers
- Plastic bottles
- Beverage cans
Read the full story at https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/08/09/plastic-straws-litter-common-trash-common-america/840806002/.