Litter Prevention

Litter prevention is essential to protecting Tennessee's environment, economy, and communities. By addressing the causes of littering and promoting responsible behavior, we can work together to keep our state clean and beautiful for generations to come.

Why Prevention is Key

Litter is an enormous burden to the state both financially and ecologically. Every year litter costs the state over fifteen million dollars, and contaminates natural habitats. Research has shown that littering comes from people intentionally throwing their trash on the ground, and unintentionally mismanaging their waste.

In order to end littering, behavior change and public awareness are an absolute necessity. With the support from Keep America Beautiful, and the Tennessee Department of Transportation, Keep Tennessee Beautiful works year round to educate and spread awareness to Tennesseans on how litter happens, and how to prevent it from ever touching the ground.

Impact of Littering on Our Communities and Environment

  • Littering causes environmental damage: Litter such as plastic bottles, cigarette butts, and food waste can harm the environment by polluting soil, waterways, and harming wildlife.

  • Littering creates an eyesore: It can make our neighborhoods and cities look dirty, unattractive, and uninviting.

  • Littering can lead to health problems: Garbage can create unpleasant odors and attract pests like rats, flies, and mosquitoes, which can lead to health problems.

  • Littering can be dangerous: Discarded items such as broken glass or sharp metal can cause injury to people, animals, and even damage to vehicles.

  • Littering is costly: Governments and local authorities spend billions of dollars each year to clean up litter, and these costs are ultimately borne by taxpayers.

  • Littering reduces property values: A littered area can lower the value of nearby homes and businesses, making it harder for people to sell or rent their properties.

  • Littering harms the economy: Litter can discourage tourism and economic development, as visitors are unlikely to return to an area that is dirty or poorly maintained.

  • Littering is unnecessary: It takes only a few extra seconds to dispose of trash properly in a designated bin, and it's a small effort that can make a big difference for society.

Types of Littering

Deliberate

Littering causes environmental damage: Litter such as plastic bottles, cigarette butts, and food waste can harm the environment by polluting soil, waterways, and harming wildlife.

Negligent

Negligent littering occurs when an individual drops trash to the ground without being aware of it. This is most common in the form of an uncovered load on a vehicle that allows items to fall off/out of a vehicle. Negligent littering is also common when public trash receptacles are not emptied regularly and become overstuffed, allowing trash to fall out onto the ground.

Illegal Dumping

Illegal dumping occurs when a group, company, or individual elect to dump large quantities of garbage/waste in a location that is not designated as a waste management facility, or privately owned by those performing the dump. This behavior is common is common in rural areas where curbside garbage pickup may not be available. Additionally, it is common for illegal dumping to occur in an attempt to avoid disposal fees. Tires are particularly common in illegal dumps, as they usually associated with a disposal fee for each tire.