Many cities have signs posted as well as trash cans in public places, and at convenience stores and gas stations and etc... but it seems not to stop people from littering.

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Why do people of every race and ethnicity in well to do and wealthy community not litter their community ?

Why do people of every race and ethnicity litter in working class and poor communities ?

Public trash cans are everywhere you look to deter people from not littering on the ground. Yet, we have excessive litter. "Why"?

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States with Littering Penalties

See the penalty for your State

States spend millions of dollars each year to clean up littered roadways, parks, and coastal areas. In addition to the direct cost of litter removal, litter also harms the environment, property values and other economic activity. The most common types of litter are food packaging, bottles, cans, plastic bags, paper and tobacco products. States can discourage littering through a variety of methods, one of which is to create and enforce criminal penalties that punish unwanted behavior.

While all states have some type of litter law, penalties vary widely, based on the amount, type, and location of litter.

In 10 states, for example, the weight or volume of litter determines the severity of the crime.

Other states focus on the type of litter, imposing penalties for dumping large items, such as furniture or major appliances. Many states have also enacted legislation to address littering in certain places, such as public highways, coastal areas and recreational areas.

For relatively minor cases, courts typically impose a fine and may order litter cleanup or community service. Fines range from $25 in Massachusetts to $30,000 in Maryland. In more serious cases, offenders may be subject to imprisonment, with sentences ranging from 10 days in Idaho to six years in Tennessee. Laws in Maryland, Massachusetts, and Louisiana

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Maybe we need to open our minds and learn from other countries like Japan, who seem to have addressed littering:

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What Japan can teach us about cleanliness

• There are no huge anti-litter campaigns..
• There Are No Public Trash Cans

However, in Japan they have been taught to deal with their own litter rather than having someone else take care of their mess. This means that they will take it home with them instead of relying on public workers to empty public trash cans for them.

“We Japanese are very sensitive about our reputation in others’ eyes,” Awane said. “We don’t want others to think we are bad people who don’t have enough education or upbringing to clean things up.”

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