By disposing of waste improperly and in undesirable places, environmental, social and economic problems are created in these areas. One of them is visual pollution, which occurs when litter damages the aesthetics and appearance of a place. The presence of rubbish makes an area dirty and therefore unpleasant for the eyes, this also eventually needs to be cleaned up and removed from an area which would cost a lot of money to achieve, especially when people need to be employed to do so in a manner appropriate.

Waste can also lead to soil, water and air pollution. Often, in order to get rid of the waste quickly and easily, it is burned, but this releases toxic gases into the atmosphere which can cause people to develop health problems and respiratory problems. Chemicals can also leach out of waste and pollute soil and water. This could lead to the death of some land and sea animals that ingest the waste and toxic chemicals. Animals can become entangled and injured by substances such as glass, plastic, pins and other sharp objects and die a painful death. This would lead to a decrease in the number of wild organisms present in our ecosystem.

Many locals also have their own take on people throwing trash where they want without disposing of it the right way. Wendy Berry explains how she is ‘so disappointed with all the litter that is thrown away without any consideration’ and how she thinks ‘the council should consider taking steps to reduce the amount of litter in areas such as parks’. It is often difficult to spot a park or public area that is clean and not strewn with litter. To reduce waste, some food packaging, such as plastic crisp packets and other plastic items, may be banned in places, and more bins could be introduced to store waste.

By throwing away litter, we also allow more dangers to become apparent, such as the possibility of a fire starting. Since trash is made up of flammable materials, a small spark or lightning strike could start a fire immediately and it could be dangerous, especially if a lot of trash has been thrown away. Fires like this are often out of control and can damage the area around it and lead to loss of life. It is essential that people are made aware of the negative effects of dumping and how it could become a bigger problem in the years to come and for members of the future generation.

Nevertheless, if the right actions are taken, the amount of trash and trash dumped in random places can be reduced and the environment can be repaired over time with the help of the public.