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Let's Stop Litter
Michigan has long been known for its beautiful beaches and shores. And we have a reputation for keeping our roadsides clean. But litter is an increasing issue. While Adopt-A-Roadway and Adopt-A-Beach programs do a wonderful job of cleaning locations a few times a year, people are still thoughtless and careless at other times, leaving cigarette butts, food packing and other items for someone else to pick up.
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It's a sad statement when a soccer mom complains that water bottles are left all over a park when the team departs. We don't need a bottle deposit system to get those items picked up – we need personal responsibility in children and adults, and we need better recycling in all communities.
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Litter
is Ugly!
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Litter is a Blemish on Our Community!
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LITTER CAN BE STOPPED!
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What makes up Michigan's Litter?
Volunteers combed through over a ton of roadside litter picked up during a recent Adopt-A-Highway event. The ton of trash came from all corners of Kent County – 46 miles of country roads. It was sorted and weighed. It included:
- 514.1 pounds of newspapers, magazines, paper, plastic and fast food wrappers/containers
- 227.7 pounds of carpet, clothing, furniture and building materials
- 204.2 pounds of auto parts
- 34.8 pounds of beverage containers covered by the bottle deposit law
- 29.4 pounds of water, tea and juice containers
- 23.6 pounds of milk, liquor and wine containers
Of the 507 beverage containers found, 251 – almost half -- were deposit items that had been discarded by drivers. In other words, the 10-cent deposit didn't stop them from littering. Only education will really stop litter.
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The Penny Plan for Recycling Makes Cent$ legislation includes funding for litter education and litter abatement.
In Texas, a statewide litter program successfully reduced litter by 72%. "Don't Mess with Texas" is being emulated by other states.
We can do that here, too, using some of the pennies from the Penny Plan.
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