These are a few of the ways cities involved in the Urban Litter Partnership are fighting blight. The partnership, an alliance of the Stamford, Connecticut-based organization, Keep America Beautiful, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors, is meant to attack the growing problem of litter. Yes, litter is piling up in many cities for the first time in decades. Litter has been increasing over the past 20 years, partly due to the success of recycling, notes Mara Neville, director of strategic communications for Keep America Beautiful. But in the process, people have forgotten about litter.
Litter attracts more litter as people throw trash in places where litter has already accumulated.
Trash that piles up in vacant lots, alleys and other sites discourages people from going outside or taking an interest in their neighborhoods. The trash poses health risks from rats, mosquitoes, noxious fumes and hazardous and flammable materials. And places strewn with litter and graffiti can become breeding grounds for crime. Cities end up spending millions of dollars picking up trash dollars that could have gone to day care and other social programs. If you leave one broken window unfixed in a building, pretty soon another will get broken because people think no one cares.