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Facts about litter |
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some interesting facts
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What is litter? |
Legally speaking, the word litter is given a
wide interpretation. Litter can be as small as a sweet
wrapper, as large as a bag of rubbish, or it can mean lots of
items scattered about. Litter is most commonly assumed to
include materials often associated with smoking, eating and
drinking, that are improperly discarded, left by members of
the public, or spilt during business operations as well as
waste management operations. More
information:
www.cleancornwall.org/index.cfm?articleid=24786 |
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the links below for more information. |
Source: NCDC Clean Cornwall
www.cleancornwall.org |
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Food litter |
Research carried out by ENCAMS reveals a
quarter of our streets are strewn with cast off food cartons,
drink cans, pizza boxes and chip wrappers, yet in 2003 it
stood at just 16%.
More information:
www.encams.org/campaigns/sub.asp?sub=29 |
Source: ENCAMS
www.encams.org
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Plastic bags and bottles |
Plastic bags can take between 400-1,000 years
to break down, and like all forms of plastic they do not
biodegrade. Instead they photodegrade, breaking down into
smaller and smaller toxic bits that contaminate soil,
waterways and oceans, entering the food chain when ingested by
animals.
Many plastic bags and bottles end up as waste
on our roads, in hedgerows, in parks and on beaches. When a
plastic bag enters the ocean it becomes a harmful piece of
litter. Many marine animals mistake plastic bags for food and
swallow them, with painful and often fatal consequences.
All types of plastic are recyclable but
unfortunately local authorities often find plastics recycling
very expensive. The codes given below are usually found on
plastic items; the bottles normally used for drinks are either
code 1 or code 2, and in north Cornwall these can be recycled.
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PET |
Polyethylene
terephthalate - Fizzy drink
bottles and oven-ready meal trays. |
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HDPE |
High-density
polyethylene - Bottles for
milk and washing-up liquids. |
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PVC |
Polyvinyl
chloride - Food trays, cling
film, bottles for squash, mineral water and shampoo. |
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LDPE |
Low density
polyethylene - Carrier bags
and bin liners. |
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PP |
Polypropylene - Margarine
tubs, microwaveable meal trays. |
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PS |
Polystyrene
- Yoghurt pots, foam meat or fish trays, hamburger boxes
and egg cartons, vending cups, plastic cutlery,
protective packaging. |
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OTHER |
Any other
plastics that do not fall into
any of the above categories. - An example is melamine,
which is often used in plastic plates and cups. |
More information:
www.wasteonline.org.uk/resources/InformationSheets/Plastics.htm
www.defra.gov.uk/ENVIRONMENT/WASTE/topics/plastics.htm
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Sources:
DEFRA
www.defra.gov.uk
Waste Online
www.wasteonline.org.uk
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Cigarette litter |
People commonly mistake the material in
cigarette butts for cotton wool; however they are made of
cellulose acetate (plastic).
Cigarette butts are made of cellulose
acetate, which takes up to 12 years to biodegrade.
Chemicals leach from cigarette butts within
one hour of contact with water.
An estimated 122 tonnes of cigarette butts,
matchsticks and cigarette related litter is dropped every day
across the UK.
40% of outdoor fires are caused by litter and
refuse, according to the Home Office.
More information:
www.encams.org/knowledge/smokinglitter/research/f&f.pdf
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Source: ENCAMS
www.encams.org
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Abandoned vehicles |
Abandoned and nuisance vehicles not only look
unsightly but pose a real danger from fires, explosion and
injury and crime.
More information:
http://www.encams.org/campaigns/main2.asp?pageid=56
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Source: ENCAMS
www.encams.org |
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Fly tipping |
The dumping of builder's rubble, furniture,
household waste or any dumped waste is a problem.
Fly tipping is an offence punishable with
severe fines.
Fly tipping should be reported to the local
authority |
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Reporting a problem |
To report a problem contact North Cornwall
District Council:
online:
click this link for a form on their website
telephone:
01208 262800
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What does
dropping litter make you look like?
Simply visit
www.dirtypig.org,
upload your picture and piggy it up....!!
More information:
www.encams.org/campaigns/sub.asp?sub=29 |
Source:
ENCAMS
www.encams.org
www.dirtypig.org |
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