Editing Litter (section)

==Effects==
Litter can have a detrimental impact on humans and the environment in different ways.

===Effects on humans===
[[File:DISCARDED TIRES LITTER THE SHORELINE OF THE MIDDLE BRANCH OF BALTIMORE HARBOR NEAR WATERVIEW AVENUE - NARA - 547683.jpg|thumb|upright|These car tires were discarded on the Middle Branch of Baltimore Harbor in this photo from 1973. Tire dumping is still a concern today and could be reduced by [[tire recycling]].]]

Hazardous materials encapsulated within [[tire]]s and other items of illegally dumped rubbish can [[Leaching (chemistry)|leach]] into water sources, [[contamination|contaminate]] the soil and [[pollution|pollute]] the air.

[[Tire]]s are the most often dumped hazardous waste.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}} In 2007 the United States generated 262 million scrap tires.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/swfa/tires/|title=Waste Tires - Waste 2 Resources Program - Washington State Department of Ecology|access-date=May 5, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080708232522/http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/swfa/tires/|archive-date=July 8, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> Thirty-eight states have laws that ban whole tires being deposited in landfills.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/materials/tires/basic.htm|title=Basic information/scrap tires retrieved 05/15/2012|website=epa.gov|access-date=27 March 2018|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924143723/http://www.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/materials/tires/basic.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Many of these discarded tires end up illegally dumped on public lands. Tires can become a breeding ground for insect vectors which can transmit disease to humans.<ref name="tires">{{cite web|url=http://www.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/materials/tires/health.htm|title=Health and Environmental Concerns /Tires retrieved 05/15/2012|website=epa.gov|access-date=27 March 2018|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924143724/http://www.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/materials/tires/health.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Mosquitoes]], which breed in stagnant water, can transmit [[West Nile virus]] and [[malaria]]. Rodents nest in accumulated tires and can transmit diseases such as [[Hantavirus]].<ref name="tires"/>

When tires are burned, they can smolder for long periods of time, emitting hundreds of chemical compounds that pollute the air causing respiratory illnesses. Additionally the residue left behind can harm the soil and leach into groundwater.<ref name="tires"/>

[[File:Toothbrush regurgitated by albatross on Tern Island, Hawaii - 20060614.jpg|thumb|This [[Bolus (digestion)|bolus]] from a Hawaiian albatross (either a [[black-footed albatross]] or a [[Laysan albatross]]) has several ingested [[Flotsam, jetsam, lagan and derelict|flotsam]] items, including monofilament from fishing nets and a discarded [[toothbrush]]. Ingestion of plastic flotsam can be an increasing health risk to [[albatross]]es. [[Tern Island (Hawaii)|Tern Island]], [[French Frigate Shoals]].]]

[[Visual pollution]] is a major effect of litter.

Open containers such as paper cups, cardboard food packets, plastic drink bottles and aluminum drinks cans get filled up with rainwater, providing breeding locations for [[mosquito]]es<!-- Citation needed -->. In addition, a spark or a lightning flash can start a fire if it strikes litter such as a paper bag or cardboard box<!-- Citation needed -->.

Litter can be hazardous to health. Debris falling from vehicles is an increasing cause of [[Traffic collision|automobile accidents]].<ref>{{cite web |date=2007-05-15 |title=Debris Wreaks Havoc on the Road |url=https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3175688 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628192701/http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3175688 |archive-date=2011-06-28 |access-date=2012-02-21 |publisher=ABCnews.go.com}}</ref> Discarded [[dangerous goods]], [[chemical]]s, tires, [[sharps waste]] and [[pathogen]]s resulting from litter can cause accidental harm to humans.

Litter also carries substantial cost to the economy. Cleaning up litter in the US costs hundreds of dollars per ton, about ten times more than the cost of trash disposal, with a cost totaling about $11 billion per year.<ref name="erplanning.com"/><ref>[http://www.newsobserver.com/100/v-print/story/900146.html Litter watchers see a tidier United States] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090805190449/http://www.newsobserver.com/100/v-print/story/900146.html|date=August 5, 2009}}</ref>

===Effects on wildlife===
{{unreferenced section|date=February 2021}}
Animals may get trapped or poisoned with litter in their habitats. Cigarette butts and filters are a threat to [[wildlife]] and have been found in the stomachs of [[fish]], [[bird]]s and [[whale]]s, who have mistaken them for food.<ref>{{cite web |title=Reducing Cigarette Marine Debris: What Does and Doesn't Work |url=https://www.pacificwhale.org/reducing-cigarette-marine-debris-what-does-and-doesnt-work/ |website=Pacific Whale Foundation |access-date=20 March 2025}}</ref> Also, animals can get trapped in the rubbish and be in serious discomfort. For example, the plastic used to hold beverage cans together can get wrapped around animals' necks and cause them to suffocate as they grow.<ref>{{cite web |title=The danger of plastic six-pack rings |url=https://protectthewild.org.uk/educate/the-danger-of-plastic-six-pack-rings/ |website=Protect The Wild |access-date=20 March 2025}}</ref> Other instances where animals could be harmed by litter include broken glass lacerating the paws of [[dog]]s, [[cat]]s, and other small mammals.

===Other effects===
Organic litter in large amounts can cause [[water pollution]] and lead to [[algal bloom]]s.<ref>[http://www.townsville.qld.gov.au/resident/environment/Documents/Fact%20Sheet%20-%20Littering.pdf Litter management - Townsville City Council] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110328031044/http://www.townsville.qld.gov.au/resident/environment/Documents/Fact%20Sheet%20-%20Littering.pdf |date=March 28, 2011 }}</ref> Cigarettes could also start fires if they are not put out and then discarded in the environment.