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What is Littering?
Littering means to throw (often man-made) objects onto the ground as opposed to disposing of them properly. Litter is anything thrown away as unwanted material and accumulates in a disorderly manner.

Litter consists of waste products <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waste_product> such as containers, papers, and wrappers which have been improperly disposed of.

Often people do not consider small items such as gum or even cigarette butts to be litter but these small pieces of rubbish are some of the most littered items on our streets. Littering is one of the major environmental challenges in Zimbabwe; its effects are detrimental to humans, animals and the environment.

Litter can exist in the environment for long periods of time before degrading, it can be transported several distances into water bodies, it clogs or damages our waterways and sewer systems thus , costing money.

What are the effects of littering?

Litter can cause a whole range of problems for everyone in the community. Litter discarded in streets and parks can travel through the storm water system to our rivers and lakes, where it can cause harm to wildlife and aquatic life.

Litter costs money. Removing litter from the environment costs everyone money as it means high council rates in order to employ more workers to clean up the streets

Litter is a threat to public health. Litter attracts bugs such as (mosquitoes and flies) and is a breeding ground for bacteria. Items such as broken glass and syringes can be a health hazard in public places

Litter can be a fire hazard. Accumulated litter and carelessly discarded cigarette butts are potential fire hazards

Litter is unsightly and negatively affects the image of towns and cities especially tourist resorts

Litter attracts litter, it sends a message that it is acceptable to litter

Litter can harm or kill wildlife. Plastic litter can choke or suffocate birds and marine life

Litter destroys waterways, organic matter such as leaves and grass clippings, clog and pollute waterways.

Primary sources of litter

Pedestrians dropping garbage in the street or gutters;

Motorists discarding garbage out of windows;

Uncovered loads, items that are not secure can easily be blown out of trailers and cause roadside littering;

Household refuse disposal, animal scavengers and the wind can dislodge unsecure items placed out for collection. Litter can also result from overloading bins;

Construction projects, litter can come from uncontrolled building waste and workers’ lunchtime refuse;

Entertainment events, these create a large amount of litter, which can overflow onto neighbouring areas when measures to control it are not put in place;

What is the solution?

Every person or authority in control or responsible for the maintenance of any place must always ensure that they provide adequate bins for discarding litter

Public transporters or any owner of a public conveyance must ensure that no litter is thrown from the transport conveyance

Individuals are not allowed to discard dump or leave any litter on any land, street or road except in a container provided for that purpose

Waste bins must be emptied at places which have been especially designated for such a purpose.

Urban or municipal authorities are urged to work with NGOs, international agencies, the corporate world and other institutions so that they are able to provide adequate facilities for waste management services such as the provision of waste bins at strategic intervals and ensure that they come up with routine waste collection mechanisms.

Bin it, Don’t Drop It – Keep Zimbabwe Clean.

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