Dalton Needs Its Businesses to Help Reduce Litter

Litter has long been an eyesore and concern for businesses and restaurants. From overflowing trash bins to cigarette butts scattered along sidewalks, litter not only tarnishes how an area looks but also carries negative consequences for businesses when it is outside their doors. Litter has been linked to lower tourism, real estate values, and an increase in theft. Luckily, there are ways for business owners to combat litter and one of the ways can be completed with a grant currently open for applications by Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful. 

Cleaning up the business area can make a big difference immediately. Multiple studies have shown that cleaning up litter will decrease new litter considerably. Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful’s “Adopt-a-Mile” groups clean up four times a year and can see this to be true. Over time, the volunteers that are cleaning up that mile find less and less litter because passersby become accustomed to seeing the area clean and realize it isn't okay to litter there. It is a quiet way as a business to use social influence to encourage clean behavior.

To effectively combat littering, businesses can embrace strategies that address the root causes while making proper disposal more attractive and convenient. Business owners can enhance the look and location of trash cans and strategically add more where needed to cut down on litter and reduce the amount of time workers have to spend cleaning up.

The Walt Disney Company conducted a study and found a trash can should be placed about every 25 to 30 spaces for optimal disposal. The next time you are walking down a sidewalk or outside a building take a look at how far apart their trash cans are. If they are farther than 25 to 30 paces away from each other, how much litter do you see?

Trash receptacles play a pivotal role in curbing litter, so their proper location and maintenance are crucial. Placing them strategically in high-traffic areas and ensuring regular servicing can significantly contribute to a litter-free environment. A full trash-can is not a trash can. Businesses need to have a regular maintenance schedule to make sure their trash cans are usable to keep litter from popping up. Having a regular maintenance schedule enhance the way a business appears and attract more clients who consciously or unconsciously notice the appearance.

Businesses can shape customer behavior by creating and enforcing a procedure for how items are distributed. Reducing single-use disposable items by asking customers if they would like them first, having napkin holders at tables instead of placing down a stack of napkins when customers are served, and offering paperless receipts are small changes that can make cleanups go by much faster.

Encouraging reusable options and offering incentives can also steer behavior in the right direction. Cities that have banned plastic bags have witnessed a reduction in litter and if your store offers a reusable bag or mug option they may see similar results right outside their front door or in their parking lot.

Speaking of litter in business parking lots, reducing litter can also help reduce accidents. Many accidents in parking lots and roads are caused by people swerving out of the way of litter. While it is more likely in a parking lot that it will just cause a fender bender, that still takes up space and time in a business’ parking lot and may leave a bad taste in a customer’s mouth.

Beautifying their outdoor area can also lead to less littering at a place of business. When people see that someone takes pride in their space, they are more likely to want to take care of it. If you are a local business and would like to apply for a Business Beautification Grant of up to $500, head to keepdaltonwhitfieldbeautiful.org before September first when the grant applications are due. Past businesses have used this grant for pressure washing, plantings, and benches. Putting in time to have a beautiful business can improve your sales and decrease your cleanup time.

The journey toward a litter-free Dalton requires everyone to be on board and businesses will play a pivotal role in that. By putting in place a few procedures and infrastructure businesses in Dalton can stand out as clean, beautiful, and ready for business.

Amy Hartline is the recycling and education program coordinator for the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority. Have a recycling question? Contact her at (706) 278-5001 or ahartline@dwswa.org.