Sustainability 2012, 4(8), 1733-1754; https://doi.org/10.3390/su4081733
An Approach to Litter Generation and Littering Practices in a Mexico City Neighborhood
1
Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigación y Estudios en Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo (CIIEMAD), Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Calle 30 de Junio de 1520 s/n., Barrio La Laguna Ticomán, C.P. 03340, México D.F., Mexico
2
Laboratorio de Citopatología Ambiental, Departamento de Morfología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Carpio y Plan de Ayala s/n, Col. Plutarco Elías Calles, CP 11340 México D.F., Mexico
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 17 April 2012 / Revised: 25 June 2012 / Accepted: 26 July 2012 / Published: 10 August 2012
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Waste Management)
Abstract
Urban litter is generated by human societies everywhere. Some litter is recyclable waste. In this study, the acronym RMSW is used to refer to recyclable municipal solid waste generated in streets. Public attitude towards RMSW generation, generators’ perceptions, and quantification of RMSW in streets were examined in a Mexico City neighborhood, where litter presence causes major environmental problems affecting the population year after year. Interviews with neighborhood residents and item counts were carried out from 2010 to 2011. In all, 58% of interviewees reported generating RMSW at variable frequencies while 42% said they did not generate this kind of waste. Laziness, lack of vigilance by municipal authorities, no litter bins in streets, and imitation were the main causes identified by interviewees as reasons for littering. Potential litter generators may be of any age, educational level or income. Interviewees’ perception of RMSW generation was compared with item counts in the neighborhood studied. View Full-TextKeywords:
litter; recyclable waste; attitude; perception; generator
▼
Figures
Figure 1
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 3.0).
Share & Cite This Article
MDPI and ACS Style
Muñoz-Cadena, C.E.; Lina-Manjarrez, P.; Estrada-Izquierdo, I.; Ramón-Gallegos, E. An Approach to Litter Generation and Littering Practices in a Mexico City Neighborhood. Sustainability 2012, 4, 1733-1754.
Related Articles
Article Metrics
Comments
[Return to top]
Sustainability
EISSN 2071-1050
Published by MDPI AG, Basel, Switzerland
RSS
E-Mail Table of Contents Alert