Littering Facts
Trillions of pieces of litter are dropped around the world each year, from small empty chewing gum packets to big mattresses and furniture items. It’s impossible to accurately state how much littering happens as it’s so common. However, as an example, it’s estimated that 9.7 billion cigarette butts are littered along roadways and waterways annually in the US alone.
Littering is a crime and each state in the US has its own laws, fines, and penalties for varying degrees of littering. Dropping bits of trash, no matter how small, whether intentional or accidental, is considered littering. It harms and kills wildlife, encourages the spread of disease, and adds to pollution levels.
Cigarettes butts, packaging from fast food, drink bottles, and even tires are some of the most littered items in the US and the wider world. Understand what impact this has on the planet and the massive problem and scale of litter with these stats and facts about littering.
What are the effects of littering
on the environment?
The main effect of littering is that it causes and contributes to pollution. Trash that breaks down can release chemicals into the environment that contaminate the ground and soil, waterways and freshwater sources, and even the air. Any litter that’s burned also releases toxic emissions into the atmosphere.
Littering harms and kills wildlife. For example, eight million tons of plastic waste end up in our oceans every year. In total, it’s estimated there are more than 150 million tons of plastic already in the oceans. Plastic litter alone harms 600 or so species that live in or close to the seas.
Bacteria and other diseases can also thrive in litter, especially waste food and packaging. This can then be transmitted directly to humans and wildlife that come into direct contact with the trash or indirectly by insects or animals that encounter contaminated litter and then come into contact with humans or other animals.
Bits of trash littering roads, sidewalks, rivers, beaches, parks, and anywhere else look disgusting too. It can smell and spoil beautiful parks, beaches, and other picturesque environmental areas. Discarded trash may cause wildfires that destroy habitats while animals may choke on garbage and die.
How much trash is littered every day?
It’s estimated that two million pieces of trash are littered every day in the USA. This ranges from cigarette butts flicked onto the ground to beer cans left behind in parks. The average American produces between 4.5 and 5 pounds of trash each day, most of which ends up in a garbage can.
How much trash is littered every year?
Assuming two million pieces of trash are littered every day in the US, it would mean around 730 million bits of litter are dropped every year. However, the national nonprofit organization Keep America Beautiful (KAB) estimates there are 152 pieces of litter in the country for every person. As the USA currently has a population of just over 340 million residents, that would mean there are more than 51 billion bits of litter in the country.
What percent of people litter?
According to one survey, 75% of people admit to littering within the last five years. Unsurprisingly some of the people who litter the most are often smokers and those who eat fast food regularly. The good news is that according to KAB, 90% of Americans think litter is a problem.
Littering statistics
Billions of bits of litter are dropped on roads, waterways, and other places every year. It’s impossible to accurately work out exact littering statistics as the issue is so big. However, research into littering in the US and around the world does highlight how large the problem is, as these statistics about littering show:
- 5 trillion cigarette butts are littered around the world every year
- Littering in the USA creates an additional 100 million tons of carbon dioxide
- In the US, there’s more litter along waterways (25.9 billion pieces) than roadways (23.7 billion pieces)
- There are more than 2,000 pieces per mile of roadway and waterway in the US
- Litter and debris on highways cause more than 50,000 accidents each year
- Roadside litter in the US has fallen by 54% in the last ten years
- Motorists are responsible for 52% of roadside litter, while pedestrians contribute to 23% of litter along roadways – improperly covered trucks and cargo account for the rest
- The impact of Covid-19 meant an additional 207 million items of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) were littered in the US according to KAB
- 60% of water pollution around the world is attributed to littering
- 80% of plastic litter in the oceans comes from land-based sources
Facts about litter
There are many reasons why people litter, including carelessness and laziness to a lack of dumpsters and trash cans or an existing presence of garbage on the ground. Littering is responsible for 60% of water pollution, which includes rivers, lakes, and oceans. Chemicals can enter freshwater sources and pollute them, affecting humans and wildlife.
It’s also estimated that around 40% of litter is burned. This can release toxic emissions into the atmosphere and pollute the air. More than 100,000 sea creatures are estimated to die after ingesting or becoming entangled in litter every year, including dolphins, whales, fish, and turtles.
Some of the most littered items include:
- Cigarette butts
- Plastic drink bottles
- Fast food packaging
- Beer cans and wine bottles
- Plastic bags
- Tires
How long it takes litter to decompose depends on the type of material. For example, food waste such as a banana peel may only take three or four weeks to break down, while an aluminum can or plastic bag might not decompose for 500 years or more. That’s why disposing of all trash responsibly is so important.
Reduce the risk of littering in your business with dumpster rental. Use an appropriate number and sizes of dumpsters to separate and store different trash types across your site. Get a free no-obligation quote today – call 888 584 2118 or contact us online.
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Published 8th July 2025 by Graham Matthews.