Earth Gauge » Litter

What happens when trash goes down the storm drain?

espinoza — Mon, 09 May 2011 20:37:48 +0000

Find out in this fun, animated short from the National Environmental Education Foundation, the Alice Ferguson Foundation and the District Department of the Environment. You may download and use this video on-air and online using the links below.

Download the video in broadcast (317 MB) or web (7 MB) quality QuickTime file.

Download a west coast version of the video in broadcast (308 MB) or web (7 MB) quality QuickTime file.

America Recycles Day

espinoza — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 12:57:06 +0000

Today, November 15, is America Recycles Day. When materials are recycled instead of going to a landfill, valuable resources can be recovered and used again. Recycling common household items also has a big impact on energy and water use. Recycling one ton of paper saves 17 trees and 7,000 gallons of water; recycling just one aluminum can saves the amount of energy needed to power a computer for three hours or run a 100-watt light bulb for 20 hours!

Viewer Tip: Get to know your local recycling system. Find out what materials can be recycled and where they should go. Visit www.cleanup.org and enter your zip code to find information about recycling services in your community. And remember that cell phones, televisions, computer equipment and other electronic wastes can be recycled, too.

Learn more about America Recycles day at www.americarecyclesday.org.

Season: Fall

(Sources: U.S. EPA. “Environmental Benefits of Recycle on the Go.” http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/conserve/onthego/benefits/index.htm; Keep America Beautiful. “America Recycles Day is November 15: Help America Recycle More. http://www.kab.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pressreleases_11_9_10; www.americarecyclesday.org)

Trash Troubles

espinoza — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 18:25:25 +0000

A 2009 survey of Texas residents found that four in 10 Texans admitted to littering in the past month. More than half of those people littered while driving or riding in a car; others littered when a trashcan could not be located or when walking or playing outside. Litter is more than an eyesore – trash that is dropped outside can be carried far from where it originates by wind and rain. Trash items that end up in rivers, streams or the ocean can be harmful to humans, degrade water quality and choke, suffocate or disable aquatic wildlife.

Viewer Tip: Put litter in its place with these simple tips:

Carry a litter bag in your car for trash items.
Make sure trash cans have tight-fitting lids to avoid blow-away trash.
If you can’t find a trash can where you are, pack your waste with you and throw it away at home.

Learn more about litter in Texas at www.dontmesswithtexas.org.

Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

(Sources: Stadia, Texas Department of Transportation and Environmedia Social Marketing. “2009 LItter Attitudes and Behavior Survey Executive Summary.” http://dontmesswithtexas.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/TxDOT_2009_LA&BExecSummary.pdf; Keep America Beautiful. “Tips for Preventing Litter in Your Community.” http://www.kab.org/site/DocServer/kidsLitter.pdf?docID=462)

Litter Bugs

espinoza — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 21:04:07 +0000

Litter that is dropped onto streets, sidewalks or driveways is often washed into our storm drains and eventually ends up on our beaches and in rivers and lakes. Some of the most common litter items found include plastic bags, glass bottles, gum and cigarette butts. This debris can be harmful to humans, degrade water quality and can choke, suffocate or disable aquatic wildlife. Heavy rains can move litter rapidly, clogging storm drains and creating flood hazards.

Viewer Tip: In one survey by Keep America Beautiful, 43 percent of people interviewed in public places admitted to littering within the past month. You can help put litter in its place with these tips:

Properly dispose of paper, plastics and other waste by recycling them or throwing them away. Make sure these items don’t blow away accidentally from your property or car.
Sweep up litter and debris from sidewalks, driveways and parking lots, especially around storm drains.
If you are at a beach or recreation area that does not provide trash cans, pack your waste with you and dispose of it at home.

Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

(Sources: Think Blue Maine, www.thinkbluemaine.org; Keep America Beautiful. “Littering Behavior in America: Results of a National Study.” Available from http://www.kab.org/site/PageServer?pagename=LitterResearch2009)

Do What You Otter, Clean Up the Water (Pennsylvania)

espinoza — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:23:59 +0000

Marine debris, or trash that ends up in oceans and waterways, is harmful for wildlife, humans and ecosystems. Curious animals such as seals, dolphins and otters accidentally ingest or become entangled in these items. Other animals, such as birds and turtles, mistake trash for food. Ingested trash can choke and poison them, as well as build up in their digestive systems. Marine debris can also harm people — from a beach-goer stepping on a sharp object to a reduction in tourism at a public beach. Whole ecosystems such as coral reefs and wetlands can be affected, especially when marine debris enters the food chain.

Viewer Tip: The International Coastal Cleanup, a volunteer event organized by the Ocean Conservancy to clear trash from oceans and other waterways worldwide, takes place each year on September 19. Last year, volunteers removed 101,277 marine debris items from Pennsylvania’s oceans, beaches and waterways, including:

31,784 cigarettes/cigarette filters;
15,207 food wrappers/containers;
6,836 plastic beverage bottles;
216 pieces of fishing line; and
946 tires.

You can help! Get outdoors and enjoy the early fall weather by lending a hand for your local beach or waterway. Visit www.signuptocleanup.org to learn more and find a cleanup site near you.

Season: Fall

(Source: Ocean Conservancy, www.oceanconservancy.org/icc.)

Do What You Otter, Clean Up the Water (Maryland)

espinoza — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:19:56 +0000

Viewer Tip: The International Coastal Cleanup, a volunteer event organized by the Ocean Conservancy to clear trash from oceans and other waterways worldwide, takes place each year on September 19. Last year, volunteers removed 27,794 marine debris items from Maryland’s oceans, beaches and waterways, including:

3,264 cigarettes/cigarette filters;
2,659 food wrappers/containers;
4,538 plastic beverage bottles;
467 pieces of fishing line; and
62 tires.

You can help! Get outdoors and enjoy the early fall weather by lending a hand for your local beach or waterway. Visit www.signuptocleanup.org to learn more and find a cleanup site near you.

Season: Fall

(Source: Ocean Conservancy, www.oceanconservancy.org/icc.)

End-of-Summer Clean Up (MN, OH, WI)

espinoza — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:19:13 +0000

Fall is a good time to tidy up the beach after a summer of heavy use by tourists, beachgoers and boaters. Beach litter is unsightly and can pose a threat to humans, and some forms can pose a hazard to people and wildlife. Cigarette butts are the most common form of litter on Great Lakes beaches, according to the Alliance for the Great Lakes Adopt-a-Beach program. More than 175,000 butts are found on Great Lakes beaches each year and those butts contain cadmium, lead, arsenic and other chemicals that can hurt water quality and public health. Small children sometimes are tempted to put what they find on the beach in their mouths, and many people don’t know that it can take hundreds of years for a cigarette filter to disappear from the environment.

Viewer Tip: Get outdoors and enjoy the early fall weather by lending a hand for your local beach or waterway. Join a cleanup event as part of the annual International Coastal Cleanup, held on the third Saturday of September each year – falling on September 19 this year. Visit www.signuptocleanup.org to sign up for a cleanup near you.

Season: Fall

This information is provided by the Alliance for the Great Lakes. Learn more at www.greatlakes.org.

End-of-Summer Clean Up (IL, IN, MI)

espinoza — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:17:21 +0000

Viewer Tip: Join the Alliance for the Great Lakes’ annual September Adopt-a-Beach cleanup event. Part of the annual International Coastal Cleanup, it’s held on the third Saturday of September each year – falling on September 19 this year. Last year more than 7,000 volunteers from five Great Lakes states took part in the Alliance cleanup. See www.greatlakes.org/adoptabeach to sign up for a cleanup near you.

Season: Fall

This information is provided by the Alliance for the Great Lakes. Learn more at www.greatlakes.org.

Do What You Otter, Clean Up the Water

espinoza — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 11:55:59 +0000

Marine debris, trash that ends up in oceans and waterways, is harmful for wildlife, humans and ecosystems. Curious animals such as seals, dolphins and otters accidentally ingest or become entangled in these items. Other animals, such as birds and turtles, mistake trash for food. Ingested trash can choke and poison them, as well as build up in their digestive systems. Marine debris can also harm people — from a beach-goer stepping on a sharp object to a reduction in tourism at a public beach. Whole ecosystems such as coral reefs and wetlands can be affected, especially when marine debris enters the food chain.

Viewer Tip: The International Coastal Cleanup, a volunteer event organized by the Ocean Conservancy to clear trash from oceans and other waterways worldwide, takes place each year on September 19. Last year, nearly 400,000 volunteers removed more than 6.8 million pounds of marine debris around the world, including over one million cigarette butts, over 200,000 plastic bags and over 8,000 tires from U.S. oceans and waterways alone.

You can help! Get outdoors and enjoy the early fall weather by lending a hand for your local beach or waterway. Visit http://www.signuptocleanup.org/ to learn more and find a cleanup site near you.

Season: Fall

(Source: Ocean Conservancy, www.oceanconservancy.org/icc.)

Do What You Otter, Clean Up the Water (Hawaii)

espinoza — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 21:03:29 +0000

Viewer Tip: The International Coastal Cleanup, a volunteer event organized by the Ocean Conservancy to clear trash from oceans and other waterways worldwide, takes place each year on September 19. Last year, 2,501 volunteers removed 143,368 marine debris items from Hawaii’s oceans, beaches and waterways, including:

68,115 cigarettes/cigarette filters;
11,376 food wrappers/containers;
1,832 plastic beverage bottles;
3,167 pieces of fishing line; and
126 tires.

You can help! Get outdoors and enjoy the early fall weather by lending a hand for your local beach or waterway. Visit http://www.signuptocleanup.org/ to learn more and find a cleanup site near you.

Season: Fall

(Source: Ocean Conservancy, www.oceanconservancy.org/icc.)

Do What You Otter, Clean Up the Water (Texas)

espinoza — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:57:22 +0000

Viewer Tip: The International Coastal Cleanup, a volunteer event organized by the Ocean Conservancy to clear trash from oceans and other waterways worldwide, takes place each year on September 19. Last year, 3,573 volunteers removed 63,325 marine debris items from Texas oceans, beaches and waterways, including:

3,316 cigarettes/cigarette filters;
3,790 food wrappers/containers;
7,030 plastic beverage bottles;
1,122 pieces of fishing line; and
129 tires.

You can help! Get outdoors and enjoy the early fall weather by lending a hand for your local beach or waterway. Visit http://www.signuptocleanup.org/ to learn more and find a cleanup site near you.

Season: Fall

(Source: Ocean Conservancy, www.oceanconservancy.org/icc.)

Do What You Otter, Clean Up the Water (New York)

espinoza — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:52:17 +0000

Viewer Tip: The International Coastal Cleanup, a volunteer event organized by the Ocean Conservancy to clear trash from oceans and other waterways worldwide, takes place each year on September 19. Last year, 6,494 volunteers removed 293,044 marine debris items from New York’s oceans, beaches and waterways, including:

60,033 cigarettes/cigarette filters;
30,957 food wrappers/containers;
21,419 plastic beverage bottles;
1,993 pieces of fishing line; and
342 tires.

You can help! Get outdoors and enjoy the early fall weather by lending a hand for your local beach or waterway. Visit http://www.signuptocleanup.org/ to learn more and find a cleanup site near you.

Season: Fall

(Source: Ocean Conservancy, www.oceanconservancy.org/icc.)

Do What You Otter, Clean Up the Water (Georgia)

espinoza — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:41:35 +0000

Viewer Tip: The International Coastal Cleanup, a volunteer event organized by the Ocean Conservancy to clear trash from oceans and other waterways worldwide, takes place each year on September 19. Last year, 28 volunteers removed 1,915 marine debris items from Georgia’s oceans, beaches and waterways, including:

442 toys;
418 beverage cans;
380 plastic beverage bottles;
149 food wrappers/containers; and
57 tobacco packages/wrappers.

Georgia’s waterways need your help! Get outdoors and enjoy the early fall weather by lending a hand for your local beach or waterway. Visit http://www.signuptocleanup.org/ to learn more and find a cleanup site near you.

Season: Fall

(Source: Ocean Conservancy, www.oceanconservancy.org/icc.)

Do What You Otter, Clean Up the Water (DC)

espinoza — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:37:46 +0000

Viewer Tip: The International Coastal Cleanup, a volunteer event organized by the Ocean Conservancy to clear trash from oceans and other waterways worldwide, takes place each year on September 19. Last year, 308 volunteers removed 194,236 marine debris items from Washington, D.C.’s waterways, including:

175,499 cigarettes/cigarette filters;
3,459 food wrappers/containers;
2,957 plastic beverage bottles;
2,228 plastic bags; and
316 pieces of fishing line.

You can help! Get outdoors and enjoy the early fall weather by lending a hand for your local beach or waterway. Visit http://www.signuptocleanup.org/ to learn more and find a cleanup site near you.

Season: Fall

(Source: Ocean Conservancy, www.oceanconservancy.org/icc.)

Do What You Otter, Clean Up the Water (Louisiana)

espinoza — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:32:36 +0000

Viewer Tip: The International Coastal Cleanup, a volunteer event organized by the Ocean Conservancy to clear trash from oceans and other waterways worldwide, takes place each year on September 19. Last year, 1,637 volunteers removed 38,183 marine debris items from Louisiana’s oceans, beaches and waterways, including:

8,435 beverages bottles and cans;
3,953 cigarettes/cigarette filters;
2,638 building materials;
2,308 plastic bags; and
727 pieces of fishing line and rope.

You can help! Get outdoors and enjoy the early fall weather by lending a hand for your local beach or waterway. Visit http://www.signuptocleanup.org/ to learn more and find a cleanup site near you.

Season: Fall

(Source: Ocean Conservancy, www.oceanconservancy.org/icc)

Do What You Otter, Clean Up the Water (Florida)

espinoza — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:28:05 +0000

Viewer Tip: The International Coastal Cleanup, a volunteer event organized by the Ocean Conservancy to clear trash from oceans and other waterways worldwide, takes place each year on September 19. Last year, 32,696 volunteers removed 676,816 marine debris items from Florida’s oceans, beaches and waterways, including:

197,389 cigarettes/cigarette filters;
116,835 beverages bottles and cans;
49,403 food wrappers/containers;
42,376 plastic bags; and
6,745 pieces of fishing line.

You can help! Get outdoors and enjoy the early fall weather by lending a hand for your local beach or waterway. Visit http://www.signuptocleanup.org/ to learn more and find a cleanup site near you.

Season: Fall

(Source: Ocean Conservancy, www.oceanconservancy.org/icc.)

Do What You Otter, Clean Up the Water (California)

espinoza — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 19:55:15 +0000

Viewer Tip: The International Coastal Cleanup, a volunteer event organized by the Ocean Conservancy to clear trash from oceans and other waterways worldwide, takes place each year on September 19. Last year, 73,691 volunteers removed nearly one million marine debris items from California’s oceans, coastline and waterways, including:

340,221 cigarettes/cigarette filters;
114,758 food wrappers/containers;
79,146 beverage bottles and cans;
52,544 plastic bags; and
6,466 pieces of fishing line.

You can help! Get outdoors and enjoy the early fall weather by lending a hand for your local beach or waterway. Visit http://www.signuptocleanup.org/ to learn more and find a cleanup site near you.

Season: Fall

(Source: Ocean Conservancy, www.oceanconservancy.org/icc.)

Do What You Otter, Clean Up the Water (Illinois)

espinoza — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 19:52:05 +0000

Viewer Tip: The International Coastal Cleanup, a volunteer event organized by the Ocean Conservancy to clear trash from oceans and other waterways worldwide, takes place each year on September 19. Last year, 3,227 volunteers removed 124,178 marine debris items from Illinois’ lakes, beaches and waterways, including:

49,987 cigarettes/cigarette filters;
14,086 caps and lids;
13,549 beverages bottles and cans;
13,160 food wrappers/containers; and
4,884 plastic bags.

You can help! Get outdoors and enjoy the early fall weather by lending a hand for your local beach or waterway. Visit http://www.signuptocleanup.org/ to learn more and find a cleanup site near you.

Season: Fall

(Source: Ocean Conservancy, www.oceanconservancy.org/icc.)

Do What You Otter, Clean Up the Water (North Carolina)

espinoza — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 19:44:51 +0000

Viewer Tip: The International Coastal Cleanup, a volunteer event organized by the Ocean Conservancy to clear trash from oceans and other waterways worldwide, takes place each year on September 19. Last year, 18,330 volunteers removed 127,867 marine debris items from North Carolina’s oceans, beaches and waterways, including:

23,256 cigarettes/cigarette filters;
17,451 food wrappers/containers;
13,909 plastic beverage bottles;
1,993 pieces of fishing line; and
1,574 tires.

You can help! Get outdoors and enjoy the early fall weather by lending a hand for your local beach or waterway. Visit http://www.signuptocleanup.org/ to learn more and find a cleanup site near you.

Season: Fall

(Source: Ocean Conservancy, www.oceanconservancy.org/icc.)

Do What You Otter, Help Clean Up the Water (Massachusetts)

espinoza — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 19:30:45 +0000

Viewer Tip: The International Coastal Cleanup, a volunteer event organized by the Ocean Conservancy to clear trash from oceans and other waterways worldwide, takes place each year on September 19. Last year, 3,077 volunteers removed 117,081 marine debris items from Massachusetts’ oceans, beaches and waterways, including:

37,683 cigarettes/cigarette filters;
12,503 beverage bottles and cans;
9,391 plastic bags;
13,292 food wrappers/containers; and
1,285 pieces of fishing line.

You can help! Get outdoors and enjoy the early fall weather by lending a hand for your local beach or waterway. Visit http://www.signuptocleanup.org/ to learn more and find a cleanup site near you.

(Source: Ocean Conservancy, www.oceanconservancy.org/icc)