What can you do to prevent litter? Here are a few tips from Keep America Beautiful’s website, www.kab.org:
Set an example for others, especially family, co-workers, friends, and children by using trash receptacles and recycling bins. Keep a bag for trash in your car. Do not throw litter out of vehicle windows.
If you are a smoker, carry and use a portable or pocket ashtray. Before you light up, identify a proper receptacle where you will dispose of your cigarette waste when you finish smoking. Encourage fellow smokers to be responsible for their litter.
Make sure your trash cans have lids that can be securely fastened or use bungee cords to hold them in place. Secure all bags and use twine to secure loose trash for curbside trash collection. Tie paper into bundles before placing into curbside recycling bins. If you see litter, pick it up.
Business Owners – provide ash and trash receptacles at entrances, exits, loading docks, picnic areas as well as in parking lots and along walkways of your business. Assure easy access to dumpsters by employees and contractors, and cover all open loads on trucks leaving your business.
Changing a common behavior, like littering, starts with you. Each person must accept responsibility for their actions and influence the actions of others around them at home, at school, in places of business, and in the community at large. Choose not to litter. Make the commitment now to join with thousands of other Americans to not be a litter-bug. Volunteer in your community to help prevent and cleanup litter!
