The International Tidy Man

Litter is waste disposed of in the wrong place by unlawful human action and can vary in size of incident, occurrence or items. It can occur as small items like wrappers, large collections of waste or scatterings of litter dispersed around public places outdoors. Litter can be occasioned by malicious intent, carelessness, or by accident. Litter has the potential to cause harm to human health, safety, and welfare; it harms wildlife and environmental quality on Earth. Waste abandoned in a private space is not considered litter. The American Public Works Association standardized the term litter in the mid-20th century, to be later known as a form of solid waste—"material which, if thrown or deposited, tends to create a danger to public health, safety and welfare." Litter is categorized into three specific components: hazardous, reusable-recyclable and non-hazardous, non-from trash-hauling vehicles, unsecured loads, or construction sites.

Litter can harm the environment in a number of different ways. It is a breeding ground for disease-causing insects and rodents. Its "ugliness" damages the appearance of scenic environments. Open containers such as paper cups or beverage cans can hold rainwater, providing breeding locations for mosquitoes which have been known to cause diseases such as West Nile Virus and Malaria. Uncollected litter can attract more, flowing into streams, and storm water drainage systems, local bays and estuaries. Animals may get trapped or poisoned with litter in their habitats. Cigarette buds and filters are a threat to wildlife and have been found in the stomachs of fish, birds and whales, who have mistaken them for food.

History

From ancient Greece to the present day Western hemisphere, humans have thrown unwanted refuse onto streets, countrysides and remote places, unpunished.[http://ecommons.txstate.edu/arp/27 DO MESS WITH IT!: A Sociopolitical Study of Littering and the Role of Southern and Nearby States ] Prior to reforms within cities in the mid to late 1800s, sanitation was not a priority on governments' lists of things to do. Waste was disposed of by the roadside or in small local dumps. It was unsanitary for local inhabitants and the growing piles of waste led to the spread of disease.The only known pre-modern exception, however, was the Arab Empire, especially in Cordoba, al-Andalus, which had facilities for litter collection.S. P. Scott (1904), History of the Moorish Empire in Europe, 3 vols, J. B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia and London.
F. B. Artz (1980), The Mind of the Middle Ages, Third edition revised, University of Chicago Press, pp 148-50.
(cf. References, 1001 Inventions)

In the 14th century, the rise of waste in Europe helped contribute to the bubonic plague.Fact: date=May 2008 Black rats, carrying the fleas which were the vectors for the plague, fed off biodegradable waste discarded by the public.