Accidental
Litter: Material that is deposited unintentionally, such as debris
from accidents, material that falls from loaded vehicles or flies out
of open bed vehicles. Includes items that spill from overloaded or tipped
trash cans and items dropped or left behind by people.
Community: A group
of people living in the same area or a group of people who have close
ties and common interests.
Compost: A rich,
soil-like mixture that is produced when organic materials, such as yard,
garden and kitchen wastes, break down.
Decompose: The process
of breaking something down. To rot.
Deliberate Litter:
Materials thrown down, discarded or left behind intentionally in inappropriate
locations, including beverage, snack and other convenience food packaging.
Disposable: Meant
to be thrown away after a single use or a few uses, rather than to be
saved and reused many times.
Ecological
Impact: The effect that a human or nature caused action has on
living organisns and their environment.
Ecosystem: A system
made up of a community of living things together with their environment.
Enforcement: Actions
taken to make sure that federal, state or local environmental laws are
being followed. May result in corrective action, fines or criminal charges
for violations.
Environment: All
of the natural and living things surrounding us (including air, water,
vegetation, climate, wildlife, humans…) that have an influence
on us and our physical and biological existence.
Garbage: Solid waste
or trash; anything that we throw away.
Inorganic: Involving
neither organic life nor the products of organic life; not composed
of organic matter.
Landfill: A place
permitted by a solid waste regulatory agency where unwanted materials
are deposited, compacted and covered with dirt.
Organic: Of, relating
to, or derived from living organisms; organic matter.
Pollutant:
Any substance that negatively affects the health of humans, animals
or ecosystems.
Pollution: In our
environment, the condition of being dirty or impure, especially as a
result of wastes.
Recyclable: Able
to be used instead of raw materials to make a new product.
Recycle: To make
new materials such as glass, aluminum, paper, steel and plastic into
new products.
Waste Disposal: The
process of getting rid of the waste material that people generate. People
produce gaseous waste, such as carbon monoxide from cars; liquid waste,
such as sewage; and solid waste. The many kinds of solid waste include
paper and plastic products, bottles and cans, food scraps, and junked
automobiles and appliances.
Waste Reduction:
The process of producing less waste. For example, people can reduce
waste by minimizing what they use and by reusing and recycling items.
Watershed: The land
that drains into a stream. The watershed for a major river may include
a number of smaller watersheds that eventually combine.
Accidental
Litter: Material that is deposited unintentionally, such as debris
from accidents, material that falls from loaded vehicles or flies out
of open bed vehicles. Includes items that spill from overloaded or tipped
trash cans and items dropped or left behind by people.
