LITTER AWARENESS Jenny Horness Spring 2011

Project Overview Intent  Inform bikers and pedestrians of the effects that trash has on the environment  Showing emphasis on the newly constructed trail system running through Slater with the intention of impacting my community.

Project Overview Action  Through research and professional contact gather information  Participate in Trail Clean-up Day – April 2 nd  Assist in Early Kindergarten classroom – April 19 th  Create brochure for distribution  Grand Celebration for the High Trestle Trail – April 30 th

Project Feasibility Research:  80% of Iowans feel that litter is a problem  Participate in Trail Clean-up Day to get first hand experience of extent of litter on the trails.  Litter Hotline  NOLITTR  Littering Fines  Misdemeanor, fine not less than $65 (2008)  Many programs exist  Keep Iowa Beautiful  Adopt-A-Highway

Professional Advice  Brian Tormey, DNR & Keep Iowa Beautiful Affiliate  Reusable water bottles is probably one of the best ways to combat litter on bike trails.  Also having litter bags fastened to your bike helps.  Many bike trails do have garbage containers at parking areas and some even include recycling containers for cans and bottles.  Provided study completed by Keep Iowa Beautiful. Surveyed over 800 Iowans regarding litter awareness. ~

Professional Advice  Gerry Schnepf, Executive Director Keep Iowa Beautiful  Trail users tend to be more respective of the landscape, therefore the litter levels tend to be less than compared to streets or sidewalks in a community. In addition the items that are littered would tend to be smaller and lighter in nature.  Regardless, litter still shows ups and detracts from the beauty of the trail and the countryside. It is ten times as costly to pick the litter up as it would be to dispose of it properly in the first place. What can also occur, where trails cross county roads, etc. is there might be an increased tendency for illegal dumping at those sites although that is supposition and not verified by research. ~

Professional Advice  Gerry Schnepf, Executive Director Keep Iowa Beautiful  The keys to prevention are to keep the area clean, make it convenient for the user to properly dispose of litter or recycle, enforce those caught littering and work with schools and the general public to change behavior patterns to develop an understanding of the cost to society and the environment. ~

Other Contacts  Andrea Chase, Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation  High Trestle Trail Grand Celebration Organizer  ~  Jennifer Davies, City of Slater  High Trestle Trail Grand Celebration Organizer  ~  Jocelyn Jensen, Ballard West Elementary  Early Kindergarten Teacher  ~ ext. 218

Why? ~ Litter Research by Keep Iowa Beautiful, Inc. found that people litter because:  They feel no sense of ownership, even though areas such as parks and trails are public property.  They believe someone else – a park maintenance or highway work – will pick up after them.  Litter has already accumulated.

Who? ~ Litter While litter is mainly a matter of individual behavior, there actually seven primary resources:  Household trash handling & its placement at the curb  Dumpsters used by businesses  Loading docks  Construction & demolition sites  Trucks and uncovered loads  Pedestrians  Motorists

Environmental Impact  Litter discarded in streets and parks can travel through the storm water system to our streams and rivers, where it can cause harm to wildlife.  List costs money. Removing these items from the environment costs everyone money.  Litter is a threat to public health. It attracts vermin and is a breeding ground for bacteria.

Environmental Impact  Litter can be a fire hazard. Accumulated litter and carelessly discarded cigarette butts are potential fire hazards.  Litter looks bad. It negatively affects the image of places, especially tourists locations.  Litter can harm or kill wildlife. Plastics can choke or suffocate birds and marine life. Carelessly discarded containers can trap small mammals.

Statistics  Consider these startling statistics. Below is a list of how long some common forms of litter take to decompose:  Paper, 2-4 weeks  Candy wrapper, 1-3 months  Plastic bag, 1-5 months  Aluminum can, years  Plastic drink bottle, 450 years  Glass bottle, 1 million years

Trail Clean-up Day  April 2 nd, 2011  Sheldahl to Slater  1 Mile  Two 13 gallon garbage bags  Plastic grocery bag of cans/bottles  Discarded sink box

Earth Week – Early Kindergarten  Read to class  Earth Day by Mercer Mayer  Discussed recycling & litter  Class project  Tin can flower pots

Brochure

Grand Celebration – High Trestle Trail  Saturday, April 30 th  Ribbon Cutting Ceremonies  Celebrating Project Complete  25 miles of trail connecting:  Ankeny  Sheldahl  Slater  Madrid  Woodward

Grand Celebration – High Trestle Trail  Slater – Art in the Park  Tin Can Flower Pots  46 brochures distributed  58 flower pots made

How YOU can help  Choose NOT to be a litter bug.  Be an example – recruit others.  Volunteer – Many programs already exist.  Clean up after your pet.  If you see litter, pick it up! Every “litter” bit helps!!

Online Resources  Keep America Beautiful:  Keep Iowa Beautiful:  An Environmental Education Program of the Prague Post Endowment Fund:  National Conference of State Legislators: