Littering - a problem for people and the environment
Across Germany, more and more waste is being disposed of improperly. Public spaces and nature are becoming increasingly littered, especially in large cities, and littering is also becoming an increasing problem in Offenbach. Carelessly discarded garbage not only has a negative impact on our quality of life, but also damages the environment.
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Littering
The term littering comes from the English word "to litter" and stands for the littering of public spaces and nature.
Why littering harms the environment
- Material cycle: When waste is carelessly thrown away, it is removed from the material cycle. The materials cannot be recycled and new raw materials must instead be extracted using a great deal of energy.
- Animals and plants: The waste ends up in nature and harms (wild) animals and plants: Contained pollutants can damage plants or poison animals and animals can injure themselves, for example if they cut themselves on sharp-edged objects or become entangled in nets and strings.
- Waters: Plastic waste does not decompose completely. Instead, it turns into microplastics and enters the food chain and bodies of water.
Why littering harms us as a society
- Littering in our surroundings has a negative impact on our quality of life.
- The quality of life decreases when places are littered.
- Litter in residential areas attracts animals that feed on food scraps and other waste (e.g. rats) and can transmit diseases and germs.
- Littering is expensive: considerable costs are incurred for cleaning.
This is how long waste remains in nature
How our (plastic) waste ends up in the sea
Plastic waste is only replaced very slowly. A plastic cup carelessly thrown away in Offenbach can end up in the River Main and then further into the open sea. The plastic waste that collects in the sea causes considerable damage.
As part of a WWF study (opens in a new tab), almost 300 marine species and seabirds were examined to determine where they suffer damage due to interactions with plastic. 88 percent of the species studied showed adverse effects.
- Sea turtles confuse plastic bags with jellyfish, eat them and die as a result.
- Seabirds eat pieces of plastic waste. The waste ends up in the birds' stomachs and affects their digestive tracts. The birds feel full, but are unable to utilize the plastic and starve to death.
- Waste destroys coral reefs and introduces harmful pathogens into this habitat.
- Many plastics contain harmful substances, such as plasticizers. These dissolve in the sea and harm marine animals such as mussels, fish and marine mammals.