Most conversations about litter start with how ugly it is, but litter is not just an aesthetic problem. Large pieces of litter and debris cause hundreds of car accidents each year. When a cigarette butt left on the sidewalk gets wet, its filter releases the chemicals it has retained into the storm drain which goes straight to our rivers and streams. Birds and other wildlife mistake cigarette butts, bottle caps, and small plastic pieces for food that they are unable to digest, causing them to feel full when in fact they could be malnourished.

Litter left on the side of the road has a good chance of ending up in a waterway and becoming marine debris. Eventually this marine debris will travel out to the ocean where it joins the Great Pacific Garbage Patch – a swirling vortex of trash estimated to be more than 5 million square miles large in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

The time and energy you spend volunteering with SOLV makes an important difference on Oregon’s environment and keeps our neighborhoods and natural areas clean. As you pick up litter please remember that the small pieces are often more important to pick up than the bigger stuff, because birds don’t eat tires! Finally, if you see someone littering and want to report the violation, please contact your local law enforcement agency.

• Lead a volunteer project through SOLV's Project Oregon or adopt a stretch of waterway through Oregon Adopt-A-River.
• Volunteer with SOLV and our partners!
• Adopt a stretch of roadway through your local Adopt-A-Road Program such as the Oregon Department of Transportation's Adopt-A-Highway or the Washington County Adopt-A-Road.
• Bring your own reusable water bottle, coffee cup, and shopping bag
• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
• Choose products with less packaging
• Properly dispose of all waste - It is less likely to end up in the ocean if it is recycled or put in a trash can

• GreenEcoServices is a sustainable lifestyle blog with several posts on litter including this one on littering facts and statistics and this one on car accidents caused by litter.
• Keep America Beautiful has a thorough study of the causes and frequency of littering and some good resources for litter prevention.
• Litter-bug.org has more information about littering and a page where you can report litter violations.
• An Oregon Department of State Lands article on the effects of litter on the environment.
• Visit SOLV’s Marine Debris Page if you interested in substantial threat to our oceans for more links and information.
• Stoplittering.com is a good website with litter information and prevention tips.