LITTER: It just isn't natural!
Litter is manmade waste that is out of place. Items such as paper, plastics, glass, metal objects, building material scraps, discarded food items, cigarette and cigar butts, and rubber scraps that are outside of a proper receptacle are litter. Materials such as brush, weeds and tree leaves are not generally considered litter.
Marine litter or debris is of great concern in Virginia because of the vast amount of waterways surrounding many communities. The biggest land source of marine debris is what washes off streets into storm drains that empty directly into streams, rivers and bays. Each time it rains, runoff from the street picks up loose litter as well as pet wastes, motor oil, excess pesticides and fertilizers, and grass clippings and leaves.
What is being done about the litter problem in Virginia?
LITTER is the theme of a new campaign by the Virginia Litter Control and Recycling Fund Advisory Board. The statewide litter prevention campaign will kickoff on Friday, May 10th at 1pm at the Bell Tower on the grounds of the State Capitol in Richmond.
This campaign reflects the growing concern over litter as a safety hazard to innocent people, wildlife and the environment. The goal of this campaign is to raise awareness about littering and its harmful impacts on living things so that people will stop littering. The campaign has been developed through a collaborative effort between the Litter Control and Recycling Fund Advisory Board and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). This is the first unified, comprehensive statewide litter campaign in over than a decade.
David Paylor, Deputy Secretary of Natural Resources, and Robert Burnley, Director of the DEQ, are scheduled to introduce the campaign along with representatives of the Litter Control Board and the Virginia Council for Litter Prevention and Recycling. Also on site will be the Wildlife Center of Virginia with an exhibition of animals that have suffered injury from litter as a demonstration of the harm that litter causes.
Virginia is a place of beauty that everyone should be able to enjoy. The hope is that this new campaign will make everyone aware of the problems that litter can cause.
* Additional litter prevention activity information can be accessed at the following web sites:
{Information regarding the Litter campaign has been brought to you by the Hampton Clean City Commission.}