In an article about litter’s impact on our world by Sciencing, it states that, “A study released in 2020 found that the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, spends more than $48 million cleaning up and preventing litter each year. Many cities have street sweeping programs that keep streets clear of trash and prevent litter from entering storm water drains.” The study was originally published on the official website for the city of Philadelphia. According to the Gazette, here in Colorado Springs alone back in April of 2022 the city launched a 2.7-million-dollar effort to help combat all the litter. 

 Littering is a terrible thing that we must all combat together. Here are some of the ways that you as an individual can help stop littering in and around our community. In an article by Raleighnc.gov, they made a list of 9 things you can do. Here are just a few, number 2 on their list is to not throw trash out the window in your car. Instead, they suggest you can keep a bag to put your trash into and then discard it when you reach your destination. Another tip, number 5 on the list, is to recycle. According to Rocky Mountain PBS, “only 30 cities in the state have a recycling service that accompanies their trash service. Unfortunately, six out of 10 of Colorado’s largest cities do not have this kind of program in place.” It might not be the most readily available option depending on what trash company you and your family use but could still be a good option. Finally, from this list is number 8. Help participate in community cleanups. One way Doherty has been combating this problem is by some members of the JROTC picking up trash around the exterior of the school.

 We can all help make our world a better place to live in for future generations if we start now. One of those first steps is to stop littering in our communities. What do you think? How big do you think this issue is at or around Doherty? If you would like to do some research of your own on the topic, here are all the websites we visited for our information: 

https://kab.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Litter-Study-Summary-Report-May-2021_final_05172021.pdf 

https://www.texasdisposal.com/blog/the-real-cost-of-littering/ 

https://sciencing.com/five-reasons-why-littering-is-bad-13407077.html 

https://www.phila.gov/2020-02-05-new-study-quantifies-municipal-cost-of-litter/ 

https://gazette.com/news/colorado-springs-launches-2-7-million-effort-to-combat-litter/article_86d9b16a-bf44-11ec-809b-af04905e76a3.html 

https://raleighnc.gov/transit-streets-and-sidewalks/tips-help-prevent-litter 

https://www.rmpbs.org/blogs/rocky-mountain-pbs/colorado-recycling-issues-new-bill/#:~:text=They%20identified%20one%20primary%20challenge,kind%20of%20program%20in%20place. 

https://www.koaa.com/news/covering-colorado/if-you-want-a-plastic-bag-at-the-store-it-will-cost-10-cents-starting-in-january#:~:text=COLORADO%20%E2%80%94%20Customers%20at%20grocery%20stores,bringing%20reusable%20bags%20with%20them.

https://coloradosun.com/2022/12/22/colorado-paper-plastic-bag-fee-2023/