When Will You Stop Littering?

Did you know that every time a persona litters, they are not only hurting our environment and endangering our wildlife, they are often tossing away money, too!  According to conversations experts, in just the state of Georgia alone, over $300 million dollars (market value) in recyclable items (cans, bottles and newspapers) eventually wind up in landfills, where it costs millions to dispose of them.  It’s truly senseless that we would pay to dispose of usable and valuable items and absolutely counter-productive to our pocketbooks as it effects everything from our taxes to rising costs at retail stores.

What can you do?

It’s simple to be part of the solution in with a few easy steps:

Stop Littering:  I know it’s tempting to toss away a gum wrapper, a can or other small items (been there, done that!), but it’s super easy to store them in your pocket, purse or car, too, until you can find a recycling bin or garbage receptacle (for non-recyclables.) There’s no good reason to be a litterbug, but there are plenty of great reasons to eliminate litter.  You’ll be helping to keep the world a beautiful place, protecting the environment, saving wildlife from health threats, and ultimately putting money back into your pocket.

Pick It Up:  Honestly, I’m appalled every time I see people leaving trash on picnic tables at the park or bottle and cans on the grass near our local swimming holes.  Every time I see this, I go and pick it up and a lot of the time, I’m thrilled to find that others join me in the effort (sometimes even the offenders!)  It takes seconds to move the trash to the appropriate recycle or trash bins and your actions will encourage others to think about what they are doing and what role we play as stewards of the earth.  We are all in this together and there’s great good in helping to care for the earth around us by picking up all litter that we see.

I also keep a bucket and a couple bags in my car for recyclables for times when there is not a recycle bin around.  As we visit our recycle center frequently, it’s easy enough to empty it weekly but you can also take the items home, rinse them and place in your home recycle bags or bins.

Which of course leads us to Recycle, recycle, recycle!:  Every chance you get, recycle as much as possible.  Bottom line, it helps the entire world including our economy.  With items like aluminum and glass, it may help your pocket-book, too, if your area has a pay-back program.  It may be only a few cents at a time, but it begins to add up to a good sum throughout the year.  Aslo a great incentive for children to help with your recycling efforts when you let them collect the rewards.

Spread The Word: Want people to know you are serious about helping our environment?  Check out StopLittering.com  I was so delighted to stumble upon this website that’s so passionate about putting an end to littering.  You can be part of the solution by joining the effort and by sporting a cool Stop Littering t-shirt, bag, yard sign and more to help encourage others to help make our planet a better place for all life!

A rare selfie to support an awesome cause! #StopLittering Learn more about how you can help the planet and pick up some great merchandise to spread the message at StopLittering.com. I'll be wearing my T-shirt at book signings next week. Where will you wear yours? #eco #greenliving #SustainableChick #sustainableliving

A photo posted by Barb Webb (@barb_webb) on Jul 3, 2015 at 2:05pm PDT

Need a little more encouragement to stop littering?  Consider these facts:

• (According to Wikipedia,) cleaning up litter in the U.S. costs hundreds of dollars per ton, about ten times more than the cost of trash disposal, for a cost totaling about $11 billion per year. That’s money which could have gone to building wind turbines, or planting trees and flowers, or painting city rooftops white.
• The several trillion toxic cigarette butts littered worldwide annually are responsible for fatal fires and the deaths of numerous mammals, birds and reptiles who eat them.
• Litter reduces property value, because it sends a message that people don’t take pride in their community.
• (According to the U.N. Environment Program,) plastic debris causes the deaths of more than a million seabirds every year, as well as more than 100,000 marine mammals. Syringes, cigarette lighters and toothbrushes have been found inside the stomachs of dead seabirds, which mistake them for food.

What will you do to spread the Stop Littering message today?