A Litter Bit Better Stats 2007

 

Did you know? 

• One average fast food Styrofoam container thrown out a car window will take 1 million years to decompose?
• Fast food containers and waste make up 33% of all litter.
• One aluminum can will take 200-500 years to break down.
• Littered cigarette filters contain toxic chemicals that leak into the air and water.
• A wool sock will take 1 year to decompose.
• Neither gender nor ethnicity are factors increasing likelihood of littering.

The above facts were taken from the Missouri No More Trash website.

Rochester 2007 A Litter Bit Better Facts
The stats are all in from the first ever Rochester-wide A Litter Bit Better litter pickup. What an effort it was!

Over 1,384 volunteers city-wide scoured ditches, parks, and boulevards to pick up over 20,000 pounds of trash! Service groups, scout troops, faith groups, and 10 Neighborhood Associations registered and participated.

Haulers were kept busy collecting all of the litter. Our thanks to Waste Management, Rochester Service Company, MnDOT, Rochester Park and Recreation Department.

All total, volunteers put in over 900 hours to collect litter from 161 registered areas. 1,500 pounds of trash came from state highways and 19,600 pounds came from other areas in Rochester. See the map below for areas of Rochester that were picked up.

That’s heaps of trash! The best part for all of us is that because this trash was picked up, it will not be washed out into our streams and rivers. Volunteers like you, prevented over 10 tons of pollution from ending up in our waterways!