By: Claire Tribble
While I was scrolling through Facebook the other day, I came across a meme that said, “It’s always ‘Wow, your car is such a mess’ and not ‘Wow! You don’t litter’.” That’s what we call BIG FACTS. According to Keep America Beautiful, people under 30 are most likely to litter, the reason being that they don’t want trash in their car. Looking on the sides of roads, that’s easy to see. We know that the Alabama Department of Transportation spent $9.4 million cleaning up litter along highways and interstates alone. And you can barely see the difference.
Keep America Beautiful’s most recent litter study was conducted in 2020. They found that there are more that 50 billion pieces of litter on the ground in the United States. That’s 152 pieces of litter for every person in the U.S. That’s also absolutely ridiculous in my opinion. Did anyone notice the amount of trash that was left after Fridays After Five? We can do so much better.
Did you know that studies suggest that the presence of litter can decrease property values by around 7%? Litter detracts from the aesthetic appeal of a neighborhood, making it less desirable to potential buyers and residents. A large percentage of homeowners, realtors, and property appraisers believe that a littered neighborhood would lower their assessment of a home’s value.
Not only can litter affect your personal property, the presence of litter can deter businesses from locating in an area, potentially leading to job losses and reduced economic activity. Most new industries are dedicated to environmental sustainability, and take pride in their roles in the community. If we want more companies to invest in our community, we need to improve our local environment. I’d be embarrassed to have business partners visit and see litter lining the roads on the way here.
Both the city and the county spend significant amounts of money cleaning up litter, diverting funds from other projects. By the time you factor in labor, vehicles, trailer, supplies, and tipping fees, it adds up. This money could be better spent on new playground equipment, a restoration project, anything really. If people could just learn to pick up after themselves, or wait until they get home to throw it away, life could be so much better.
Feel free to stop by my office and get a litter bag for your car. They can strap on the back of a seat and make it so much easier to keep all of the little stuff contained. They are made from recycled water bottles, and they are even washable. If you’re a smoker, we have car ashtrays. Cigarette butts won’t break down, and it can help keep fires down since we’ve reached the dry part of the summer.
By: Claire Tribble – Executive Director
Keep Athens-Limestone Beautiful
June 20, 2025
