What is public health? Wanna find out? Students in the USF Intro to Public Health class have chosen strategic areas in the Tampa Bay community that they feel represent public health in action. This blog is dedicated to explaining, understanding, and discussing what their interpretations of exactly what the heck is.... public health?!



Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Think Before You Throw! Don't Litter



It's safe to assume that the majority of us have littered at least once in our life. We probably never thought about what happens to that gum wrapper or cigarette butt when we throw it out of our car window; maybe it gets washed away or swept up, but our small bit of litter definitely doesn't make a difference right? Wrong. Every time we litter we are contributing to the slow-but-sure degeneration of our planet.

We chose to place our This is Public Health Sticker on a sign for the "Think Before You Throw" anti-litter campaign that promotes awareness of how our actions affect our environment. It's no secret that the streets of Tampa are full of litter and garbage, we can see that everyday driving to and from school. We placed the sticker on a sign near the corner of Bruce B. Downs blvd. and Fowler ave. in Tampa.

This is important to Public Health because it is a major source of urban pollution, and it happens every day. Litter creates an eye-sore for any community, affects the wildlife, clogs the storm water drains, and wastewater collection systems, ultimately affecting our health in a negative way. Not to mention it's expensive to clean up. The funny thing is, that for a problem as huge as the amount of litter and garbage that floods our roads, the solution is simple...Don't Litter! Statistics show that people litter because it's convenient and that they believe someone will pick up after them. If drivers and pedestrians would just "think before they throw" and realize that it isn't anymore convenient to toss your garbage out the window than it is to keep a plastic bag in your car to collect garbage and take it inside to dispose once you get home or to wherever you're going, the Tampa Bay area would be a lot cleaner. Campaigns such as this are great visual reminders to keep ourselves in check when driving and walking, and to be conscious of how our actions affect our community.


By: Mohammed Elshaer, Gurtej (TJ) Walha, Samantha Restivo, Alex Moore-Brocato, and Zachary Senter (photographer)

11 comments:

  1. This is a great public health issue that many people are unaware of. Although we know not to litter, we still continue to do so without even thinking about how it's affecting our planet. I was able to participate in Community Plunge,an annual service event here at USF. My group had the responsibility of road clean-up along Bruce B. Downs. This was the first time that I've had to do something like this and I was disgusted at how dirty the sidewalks really are. People really do need to "think before they throw" and realize they're harming the community by littering. The solution is simple and I hope people take this into consideration the next time they decide to litter.

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  2. This is a great public health topic. Although most of us feel guilty about littering, sometimes we'd say "Oh it's just a tiny gum wrapper & I don't see a trashcan within 2 seconds". When you put it this way, "the slow-but-sure degeneration of our planet" it makes people think. Instead of it being a small wrapper, it's something that's damaging the world we live in. People nowadays are more careful about littering because of laws and having pride in our living area but they should be more aware of the effects of small amounts of littering and what that contributes too. Again, great topic.

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  3. This is definitely an issue that people should be more aware of. Many people don't realize they're littering because it seems like such a insignificant task like throwing a small wrapper out the window. I've witnessed this too many times, even among my own friends. A little from each person eventually adds up and it doesn't just disappear. It will eventually end up somewhere and contributing to land and ocean pollution and plainly destroying the environment. It is really great to see that some people are putting effort into raising awareness.

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  4. I think that this is an extremely important issue that many people in our society do every day. Littering has become out of hand in our society, which is why I have tried to convince my friends not to litter. Last year, I did a lot of research on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and since then, I have been trying to bring awareness to this problem. Raising awareness about this issue in Tampa Bay will hopefully be beneficial, in that the community will look much cleaner. I think that more students should participate in events like the Community Plunge and Stampede of Service, so that we can clean up our neighborhoods in Tampa.

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  5. This is defiantly is an issue in public health. I would admit that I am a big litter bug but I can see how I am harming my environment. I can see how a little thing such as a napkin can harm the future of the environment, animals and even people. I will be sure to think before I throw from now on!!

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  6. This is a huge public health issue! Its something that every one person can work on. in my personal experience, I never realized how many bottles I used each week, nor the impact they had as I threw them away. Over time, I went from using and throwing away a whole 24 pack of water to every week, to now using a plastic bottle and refilling a gallon jug instead. This has encouraged me to be more aware of the outcome trash has on our environment. I know my little changes make a huge difference overall. I am happy you all chose to use this as your project. People do not realize how detrimental littering can be.

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  7. I agree with you on how people may feel it is convenient to dispose of waste inappropriately, I don’t know how many times I myself have dropped a piece of paper on the ground or witnessed someone throw a soda out the window while driving. You all make a great point we as people don’t realize that there won’t always be someone to clean up behind us and that we are the reason that our living conditions are becoming more and more grotesque . Reading this blog makes me think of places like my apartment and how much more attractive things will be when everyone does there part and throw their trash in the appropriate places, in the end the extra effort is worth it.

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  8. I completely agree with this post. Everyone knows that if you litter, not only can you get a fine but also you are only hurting your own health in the long run. Even though we know the consequences we still can not seem to cease the pollution. I feel like if everyone just does their part and dispose of THEIR own trash in the correct places, then we slowly but surely would start seeing a small change in the environment around us, causing to see a small change in our own health. After reading this post I definitely will be more careful about where my waste gets disposed at.

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  9. How much effort and energy does it honestly take for people to be patient enough to take their trash and put it in a garbage bin? Theres no reason to rid your car of its trash when your on the highway and such. Such needlessness.

    -Land Source Container Service, Inc.
    Container Rental

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  10. Litter isn't fun to see. To me, litter is a killer. Something no one thinks about or care. Everytime, I think about throwing something out, I don't. I know what it can do and I know that what I know isn't all, there is more. Always more. Litter kills animals. Litter can tear the inside of the body and the animal get sick and eventually dies. Animals has every right to live a healthy happy life just like we do. THINK BEFORE THROWING!!!

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