Did you know?
Facts about Litter!
- Litter is an offence under the litter act ranging from on the spot fines to imprisonment.
- It takes up to a 450 years for a plastic bottle to breakdown.
- New laws mean litter bugs can be fined at least €75 for dropping anything in the street, including chewing gum.
- It's thought that seven out of 10 pieces of litter on our streets is food-related.
- A discarded cigarette butt can take up to 5 years to biodegrade.
- Rat, fox, pigeons and gull populations are all getting bigger because of fast-food waste.
- Discarded chewing gum is not only unhygienic & unsightly it is dangerous for wild animals & pets. It gets caught in feathers and fur & when swallowed can lead to suffocation.
- Beach visitors are huge litter bugs, dropping 37% more fast food wrappers and 17% more plastic bags than anyone else!
- Rubbish thrown into rivers and streams can kill swans and ducks and pollute the water for fish and other animals.
- Cork County Council employ Litter Wardens who have the authority to prosecute people who have been found littering.
- In a recent study of litter clean-ups, plastics accounted for 60% of litter collected.
- It is not known how long it takes styrofoam to breakdown, but conservative estimates have indicated it takes many thousands of years.
- Apple cores and banana skins should be composted and take up to 6 weeks to biodegrade.
- A glass bottle may take up to a million years and plastic bags can take up to a thousand years before they breakdown.
- Dog fouling is litter. It is also dangerous as it can lead to serious disease and even blindness. A dog owner can be fined up to €1500 for failing to clean up dog foul. Cork County Council environment section have installed 7 secret cameras in Bandon and have prosecuted owners for failing to clean up after their dogs.
