Last week, I talked to 155 kindergarten and first grade students at one of our elementary schools. I love doing these informal talks on career day. I start each talk a little different and let the questions of the students drive the direction of my talk. Today I started with litter strewn on the floor. Each group of 38-40 students reacted a little different to the litter. One little kindergartner was very disturbed to see the litter on the floor. She was agitated and uncomfortable. She pointed out the litter to everyone and kept asking me why I put litter on the music room floor. That is exactly the kind of reaction we want to see in everyone. The little girl offered to pick up the litter, I promised her that before I left for the day I would pick up my litter.
Important facts about litter and the 2013 Litter Behavior and Visible Litter Survey: http://www.dontmesswithtexas.org/research.php
From the Texas Department of Transportation 2013 visible litter survey there has been a 34% decrease of visible litter since the 2009 survey, and this decrease is concurrent with a 5.8% increase in the Texas adult population. Cigarette Butts continue to be the largest portion of the total litter. Of larger littered items tires & rubber debris are number one as in past surveys with beverage containers (most of which are recyclable) comprising a larger portion of the total visible litter than in 2009.
In Oakbrook Estates subdivision in Pearland there is new litter every day. Most of what is littered is recyclable beverage containers. In addition someone throws out a banana peel almost every day. The corner where most of this litter accumulates serves as a bus stop for children of all ages in three different groups starting at 6:30AM. If these children don't feel badly about littering how can we change that? Keep America Beautiful put a lot of time and resources into changing behaviors and what is accepted as a norm when it comes to litter. I suspect that these children know it is wrong to litter, but don't want to carry the trash in their backpack. I wonder if the bus driver said something about the litter if that would make a difference? I am sure that there is a waste receptacle on the bus that the litterers could use.
It is my hope that the children like the kinderagartner who couldn't stand the litter out number the children who willfully liter.
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