Litter.

I frequently travel Highway 104 between the Kitsap Peninsula and Olympic National Park and have always been disturbed by the volume of litter next to the roadway. This road serves as the primary conduit for over 3 million annual visitors to the national park - an incredibly unique and ecological diverse area that includes the Hoh rainforest, old growth forests, snowcapped mountains, glaciers, rocky coastline, natural lakes and thousands of plant and animal species. The decision by so many to visit a place of stunning natural beauty and leave piles of trash is baffling and prompted a look into the amount, applicable laws, clean-up costs and environmental impact of litter in the United States.

Litter volume, demographics and cost

A multi-year study completed by Keep America Beautiful estimates there are over 50 billion pieces of litter on roadways in the United States. The majority of litter is intentionally discarded by motorists, who are generally younger and male. Cigarette butts are by far the most commonly littered item, followed by paper items (i.e. fast-food wrappers, bags, cups), plastic bottles and beverage cans. The high frequency and volume of littering comes despite laws in all 50 states that mandate fines, imprisonment, or both. However, with over 47,000 miles of interstate highway and 4 million navigable roadways in the United States, meaningful enforcement seems completely unrealistic. State and local municipalities and volunteers are left with the burden of clean-up, which costs an estimated $11.5 billion annually.  

Impact

Litter can harm the environment, wildlife, and human health in several ways. Trash, especially plastic debris can contribute to habitat degradation, be consumed by animals, toxic chemicals such as PCBs are transported in stormwater, have been shown to damage marine organisms and may also contaminate drinking water. Litter also releases methane, a greenhouse gas many times stronger than carbon dioxide, and primary contributor to climate change.  

What can we do?

Making a meaningful dent in the litter accumulating on roadways in the United States seems like an insurmountable challenge. However, an additional finding from the Keep America Beautiful study is instructive - “People are much more likely to litter into littered environments.” This highlights the dual impact of litter clean-up activities, in both removing existing litter and discouraging future littering. I would add a third assumption/impact – people are much less likely to litter along a road if they see others actively picking it up.

I’m in the process of testing this assumption through weekly litter clean-up sessions along Highway 104 and will dedicate a future post to these experiences (it’s very fulfilling).