Let’s learn why the Potomac River is trashed with plastic litter

Polluted runoff is the fastest growing source of pollution to the river.  So it can be frustrating when individuals add to the problem by flinging their trash or not recycling properly.

It’s easy to blame some thoughtless litterbug flinging rubbish into a pristine natural environment. In reality, the story of litter isn’t as simple as good citizens versus evil polluters and litterers. 

If we want to understand why there’s a litter problem in our community, and how to fix it, we need to understand the mindset of the litterers.

So, why do people litter?

Oftentimes, people litter simply because there isn’t a trash can nearby. Rather than uncomfortably carry trash away with them, people decide it’s easier to leave it behind, according to research done by the Allegheny Front.  

An easy step toward a solution, then, is to contact local park officials to ask about installing more trash receptacles. 

Furthermore, Robert Cialdini, a psychology professor at Arizona State University, says the decision to litter is based largely on environmental cues – or what people see around them. 

“It all comes down to norms, and you get those cues from the environment,” Cialdini told The Atlantic. “People litter for reasons of convenience. They don’t want this thing. The crucial question is why don’t they litter, since the easy thing is to litter. Why would people hold onto a piece of trash? Their attitudes toward the environment make a difference, but what they perceive as the norm is key.” 

In other words, the decision to litter is based on the actions of other people – for both good and bad. If an area is already highly littered, people are more likely to add more litter, while the cleaner an area already is, the less likely people are to disrupt the scene by littering.

🌟 Solution: That means that by advocating for better local recycling programs or organizing a river cleanup, you’re helping create an environment where people feel less discouraged and are less likely to litter!  

Why Don’t People Pick Up Litter?

There is still some personal responsibility involved in littering. According to a report done by Keep America Beautiful, people are more likely to litter when they feel “no sense of ownerships for parks, walkways, beaches, and other public spaces.” 

This sense of ownership, instead, is found around people’s homes and neighborhoods. A study done by the Trash Free Maryland initiative determined that many people, facing litter-filled communities, feel disappointed about the state of their community and wish it were cleaner.

However, they hesitate to remove litter from their community because of sanity concerns such as diseases spread and contamination from hidden needles.

They also feel a “sense of futility in picking up litter, as there is so much that a new batch of litter blows in almost as soon as the old litter is picked up.”

🌟 Solution: How can we combat the feeling of futility? Advocating for top-down approaches to stop litter before it even gets to our homes, like legislation promoting reusable, non-plastic products (read on for how to do this!).

How does litter affect our mental health?

While being outside is one of the best ways to boost your mental health, that affect is dampened when the outdoors is trashed with plastic and litter.

One 2016 study investigated how litter affects the moods of people visiting coastal environments and found that littered coastal environments were less liked, resulted in a lower mood, and were less likely to be restored.  

So how do we work with community members to solve this problem? According to the Trash Free Maryland study, many community members feel disheartened by the litter in their neighborhoods and wish they were part of trash-free communities.  

🌟 Solution: This is good news, because if people long for a nicer community, all it takes is organization to turn that willpower into collective action that makes a difference!

Want to break the negativity cycle around litter and make a difference in your community?

Start NOW by signing the petition for a plastic bag ban in Maryland!

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