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Keep Your Watershed Beautiful and Trash Free
Trash – cigarette filters and cigar tips, beverage bottles and cans, straws, six pack rings, packaging and plastic bags – the litany of litter is as varied as the available products. When mishandled, either thoughtlessly or deliberately, these products can end up as littering our environment. All of the varied litter shares a common origin: people! At a critical decision point, someone, somewhere, mishandled it. The good news is that litter, while pervasive, is a solvable pollution problem in our environment. There are two simple solutions: stop littering, and clean up litter already on land or in water.
What Can Be Done? In addition to teaching children and adults about the impacts of littering on the environment, involvement is the key to end litter. Some sources of litter are unintentional, such as racoons tipping over trash cans, uncovered truck loads, or wind blowing trash out of uncovered trash receptacles. Informing the person(s) responsible is the best way to change behavior. Often littering takes place because it is percieved that nobody cares. Speaking up helps others to realize that littering is unacceptable. Participating in cleanup activities is another very important way to be involved. From picking up trash when you are out for a walk, to joining an organized cleanup event, there are many ways to recover mismanaged trash in our environment and make a big difference. Basically, if you don't pick it up, who will? Even retrieving one piece of trash per day can make a difference. That's 365 pieces of trash every year! Below is a list of actions that can help prevent and control litter. Choose one and make a difference! |
CHANGE STARTS WITH YOU!
- Do not litter. Make an extra effort to place your trash in the nearest trash bin. Teach your children, parents, friends and neighbors that littering is unacceptable.
- Pick it up. If you see litter, pick it up and put it in a trash can. Remember to keep garbage and recycling cans tightly covered to prevent litter from being blown away or scattered by foraging animals. If you have a truck, cover any loads that could result in trash falling onto the road.
- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Look at the products your family uses. Can you reduce or reuse any of them? If you can’t reduce or reuse, can you recycle? Food wrappers, caps & lids, and plastic grocery bags are the most-collected items during trash cleanup events — can you reduce, eliminate, or replace one or all of these items with an environmentally friendlier alternative?
- Keep a trash bag in the car. Collect all trash and recyclables generated in your car and dispose of them properly. Carry a bag with you when you walk the dog or go to the store.
- Encourage local businesses to reuse, recycle, and generate less packaging. Ask your local stores and shops if they recycle or take back packaging, bulbs, batteries, etc. Sometimes just asking the question gets business owners to think about their trash management.
- Support manufacturers who use green design and take responsibility for their products at the end of their useful life – for more information, visit www.calpsc.org
- Support legislation to reduce waste and toxics – for more information, visit www.calpsc.org
- Volunteer to participate in or organize a cleanup. Find opportunities in our Watershed Resource Guide, visit our Calendar of Events or learn more about Coastal Cleanup Day and Spring Cleaning SMC.
- Contact the San Mateo County Household Hazardous Waste Program or visit our Too Toxic To Trash webpage to learn about the proper disposal of these and other common household products requiring special care:
- Fluorescent light bulbs
- Motor oil and filters
- Batteries
- Cleaning chemicals and solvents
- Paints and paint thinners
- Electronics
By controlling litter at its source and properly disposing of & recycling solid waste, San Mateo County residents can help protect marine animals and the environment.
Learn More About Litter
Knowing more about the causes of litter and where it comes from is a good place to start in addressing litter prevention. One person, one business, one organization can make a difference and positively affect the behavior of others in their community. The following videos, articles, and resources provide a snapshot of how human litter is affecting marine life and sea birds.