Saturday, June 6, 2009

Going green in Louisville


Litter is the most visible sign of pollution. Litter creates ugliness in public places including streets, parks and waterways and impacts real estate values. It can cause injury to people and wildlife. It encourages pest animals as well as the spread of germs and disease.

How long does litter last?

Glass bottles 1,000,000 years Aluminum cans up to 100 years Plastic bags up to 20 years Cigarette butts up to 5 years Orange/banana peels up to 5 weeks What can I do?

As an individual citizen…
- Make sure your trash is securely placed in the proper receptacle. This means putting cigarette butts in an ashtray, securing paper and other items so that they don’t blow out of your vehicle and properly sealing
your garbage containers.
- Recycle materials to save landfill space, energy and natural resources. Most litter is recyclable!

As a business…
- Start a recycling/waste reduction program at your company.
- Educate your employees by placing anti-litter articles in your
newsletters or other corporate communications. Encourage your employees to take pride in their workplace by keeping it litter-free.
- Make sure your dumpsters are closed and provide cigarette/litter receptacles at the entrance to your building.

To report litter, or illegal dumping…
- http://www.louisvilleky.gov/MetroCall/report_a_litterer.htm
- Call MetroCall at 311 or 574-5000

For more information click here.

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2 comments:

  1. Hi - in the rainforest banana peels and orange peels don't last more than a day or two. As a rule here we don't consider organic materials litter because they compost so quickly. The most common litter here is plastic water bottles (we are constantly picking those up on our roadside walks). But the most disgusting litter is baby diapers.

    - Bill http://myblog.rainforestinn.com

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  2. Interesting comments, Bill. Litter really is such a unsightful and unsanitary thing. I don't know why people do it. Strangely enough, we have a lot of it right here in Louisville, KY. I live near the downtown area, but it's a historic preservation area and you would think people would want to keep it as nice as possible.

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