Do we have to have this!
Littering is the deliberate action of depositing items of waste rather than using the correct means of disposal. It is one of the most visible and frequently encountered signs of pollution in the community. It has social and environmental consequences as litter tends to “stick around’ until someone makes the effort to clean it up or until it rains and it finds it way into our local water ways. Aesthetically, litter degrades our ‘special’ places which has social and economic impacts on our society – who wants to visit parks and reserves that have more litter than flora and fauna?!
Over 10,000 birds, whales, seals and turtles are killed worldwide by plastic rubbish each year. When the animal dies and decays, the plastic can then repeat the deadly cycle before it breaks down in 20 to 1000 years. Cigarette butts take up to 5 years to breakdown, aluminium cans are up to 500 years, glass is estimated to hang around for 1000 years and polystyrene will still be here in 2000 years! Cigarette butts also have the serious potential to spark a fire which is a deadly hazard in rural landscapes such as Wedderburn.
What can you do to help? If you spot someone littering you can call the EPA Litter Report line 1800 LITTER (1800 548 897).
Article by Susie Deason, Regional Education Officer
Central Murray Regional Waste Management Group
Do we have to have this!
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