The Psychology of Litter

We live in a throw away society.  Nowhere is that more evident than along our roads and streets.  Every day they are strewn with trash that people discard as they drive by or walk by. 

Littering is a despicable selfish act.  Whoever litters shows that they have no regard for other members of the community or for the environment.  Where is it taught that once you finish your fast food meal you should chuck all the leftover waste out your car window?  Smokers need to find a better place to discard their cigarette butts than all along the curb.

Perhaps the worst form of littering is the blight of illegally posted commercial signs (snipe signs) on public rights of way.  People who post snipe signs can be both devious and malicious.  Some snipe signs are posted high up on utility poles with heavy tacks so that they are difficult to remove.

Thanks to the vigilance of Temple Terrace Code Enforcement the posting of snipe signs in our area has been reduced to a mostly weekend phenomenon.  The snipe posters get busy late Friday night in the hope that their illegal advertising will remain visible until Monday morning when Code Enforcement is back out on the road.

I know someone who removes snipe signs from streets in his neighborhood when he goes to work early Saturday morning. He claims he only targets blatantly illegal commercial signs.  He doesn’t remove signs involving garage sales, lost pets, political signs or any sign that’s nonprofit in nature.

I’ve found that there is a psychological pattern to littering.  People are least likely to litter an area that is spotlessly clean.  They are most likely to add litter to an area that is already full of trash.  I often wonder if there’s a correlation between the amount of graffiti and litter in an area and the amount of crime. Is there a correlation between litter and property values?

For these reasons I make it a habit to pick up a piece or two of somebody else’s litter as I pass through the neighborhood.  I know that’s not my job but I want to live in a beautiful city.   The piece of trash you pick up today will save us all from having to see three pieces of trash tomorrow.