The Futility of Picking Up the Trash
Litter collection may not be doing enough to stall a vicious cycle of new trash. Data on littering suggests a better route may be to hold producers accountable.
Cigarette butts have remained the most-littered item in the U.S.
Photographer: Win Cowger/University of California, Riverside
Littering continues to be a growing environmental concern: In 2020, 24 billion pieces of litter were found on U.S. roadways, and another 26 billion were picked up near waterways, according to the nonprofit Keep America Beautiful. These bits of polluting trash not only pose grave threats to wildlife; they also hurt neighborhoods by spreading diseases and bacteria, and degrading quality of life.
But existing policies to penalize illegal dumping and clean up what’s already on the ground may not be enough to end the vicious cycle of new litter.