Distribution and Accumulation of the Littered Bottles and Cans Garbage on Sidewalks
Koji Amano* and Hiroki Murata**Abstract
There have been few quantitative investigations of the characteristics of the distribution and accumulation of litter (garbage) . Hence, there is no political way to prevent littering except for moral pressure. In this study, physical factors related to the distribution and accumulation of litter were investigated by analyzing the spatial and temporal distribution of bottles and cans littering sidewalks. Field surveys were performed along a 1.52 km sidewalk near a station twice a week for 3 months (25 surveys) . Use of a digital camera enabled an exact count of the number of bottles and cans and precise measurement of changes, including addition and replacement, at 3- to 4-day intervals. The results showed that the litter count in the zone adjacent to a parking area was almost three times larger than the count in the zone adjacent to buildings. Furthermore, a difference was observed between litter loading on weekdays and on weekends. Finally, an analysis of variance suggests that existing litter contributes significantly to the incidence of newly added litter and garbage on sidewalks.
Key words: littered garbage, effect of garbage accumulation, bottles and cans, analysis of variance