When you see someone drop litter, what do you do?

Question

Ignore it?
Say something?
Or do you drop litter yourself?

Answer 1

Pick it up, walk up to them, tap them on the shoulder and say "Excuse me, you dropped this." Make sure to give them a glare for good measure.

Answer 2

In my neighborhood, it's probably best not to confront people! I have occasionally said "Oops! You dropped this." but I've gotten some really scary looks and responses, so now I just pick it up.

Actually, as the neighborhood gets worse, the litter gets worse and I don't even pick it up that much any more. There are ten pieces just like it on the curb anyway.

I have, however, called the city about commercial dumpsters overflowing onto the sidewalk, but it hasn't done much good. Time to move, I guess.


EDIT******************

To PJ, Yes, in most places it is illegal! And for damned good reason. The litter ends up in the storm drains; from there it winds up in the waterways, killing fish and birds. If it clogs the storm drains, it causes local flooding. I saw a duck which had gotten tangled in a plastic 6-pack can holder. As it grew, the plastic deformed it around its middle, then it died. And that's just the one I happened to see. It isn't any more trivial than the canaries in the mines.

Answer 3

When im out with my partners 4 year old i make a blatent example of the person dropping the litter by tutting loudly and saying lets go pick up the litter after that litterbug and put it in the proper place (the nearest bin) ive done this a few times now and the look of guilt on their face is normally a classic...

Answer 4

I go and look for a policeman and tell on the big bad man! What is going on with this place as people above would go and snitch on them. I would mind my own business cos I dont think litter dropping is a crime because it isn't.yet! Does nobody have better things in life to worry about. Please everybody stop listening to these pointless government campaigns about trivial things. They are only a smother for the real issues of the day! Anyway what are you trying to do? Put street sweepers out of a job?
PS I dont drop litter by the way! But that's my choice!

Answer 5

If we all put our litter in the bins, what would the street cleaners do for a living after they are all made redundant? Get another job yes but in the mean time, the unemployed figures would go up and there would be more people claiming unemployment benefit/housing benefit etc etc.

So instead of contributing to the economy via paying taxes they would be taking from it in the form of hand-outs! Basic economics really.

Now don't get me wrong, I hate litter strewn around the place so I'm just trying to play devils advocate. I think street cleaners do a valuable job and I for one don't wish to see them all be made redundant.

Answer 6

you should learn that being well mannered and cooperative can thoroughly sidestep getting your self attacked, handcuffed and arrested. you're consistently required to perceive your self while a regulation officer asks you to your call. it extremely is effective which you "felt" such as you should no longer ought to perceive your self. yet you found out the hard way that the officer can and could perceive you. there is extremely no requirement to study somebody the Miranda warnings. The officer did no longer ought to question you. And the fact you asked him to offer you the warnings looks to illustrate which you have been behaving like an obnoxious punk. in case you have been well mannered with the officer, you extraordinarily much extremely might have walked away. fairly, you have been impolite and disrespectful. The officer would not ought to have faith that somebody who refused to offer his call wasn't littering and you extremely have been uncooperative. Too undesirable you weren't under the impression of alcohol . . . a minimum of then, you have blamed the habit on the booze. yet i'm assuming that 18 3 hundred and sixty 5 days olds are not allowed to drink in Arizona? if so, i'm thinking in case you will get hit with a Minor in possession of Alcohol via intake charge. (cops and prosecutors can get very creative while the defendant grow to be a impolite, disrespectful punk. And cops consistently get the final be conscious on a highway nook.)

Answer 7

I say excuse me have you just dropped a £50 note, they panic and take a look and usually say er no looking dead embarrass for been so stupid, so I say well der obviously cause you wouldn't drop £50 on the floor and walk away would you so pick your rubbish up before it costs you the amount to pay a fine for littering the streets.

Answer 8

Most of the time when I'm out I look for at least one piece of litter and pick it up to throw away. That way, later on if the wind whips something out of my hand like a receipt or something, I don't feel so guilty so as to have to chase after it. If we all picked up one piece of litter a day we'd have a cleaner world.

Answer 9

It depends on the enviorment. If I'm in Brooklyn NY, and someone drops litter 5 feet from 30lbs of trash, there is hardly any point in picking one item up and leaving the remaining 30lbs. However, if I'm in a clean park and see one litter, than I may very well pick it up.

Answer 10

Sometime i say something. Sometimes i just give a dirty look, sometimes i will kiss my teeth.
My pockets feel like those of 6-year old because i don't drop litter. Only exception is i will throw easily degradable stuff like fruit skins and half eaten apples or squashed pears under some bushes and that feeds the local wildlife at night i hope.

Answer 11

I must be a bit of a wimp, cause I quite often pick it up and put it in the nearest litter bin.
Sometimes I'm very brave and run after them and say, "I think you lost something", and hand it back to them.
These people rarely look ashamed, mostly they are quite aggressive.