Essay Sample Answer
While the problem of littering is common in many parts of the environment, the impact it has on the natural landscape when it occurs in places of natural beauty is even greater, both in terms of the direct environmental impact and aesthetic quality of the site.There are various possible reasons why littering might occur. It might be caused by visitors to the area who have no interest in maintaining the beauty of the landscape, or lack environmental consciousness regarding the damage they are inflicting. It may also be the case that it is not the actual visitors to the place, but others who are actively dumping garbage at the site as opposed to disposing of it in the recommended manner. Another cause could be the transfer of waste materials from surrounding areas. This can be caused by garbage being deposited in a river upstream from a lake, for example, and the current then transports the garbage and eventually deposits it at a different location. Wind can also be responsible, especially in the case of plastic bags, which can be carried by the wind over considerable distances before becoming trapped. The plastic bags may actually have been carelessly disposed of in another location originally.
With regard to solving this problem, the first step should be to determine the exact source of the garbage; whether it is primarily from visitors to the site, or it has been displaced from another location, and has imply accumulated at the site. Once the source and cause of the garbage have been clearly identified, then the necessary action needs to be taken to wipe out any possibility of recurrence. This might involve imposing fines for individuals for dumping garbage, deploying more waste receptacles, or resolving a problem in another location which is contributing to garbage being displaced to the site in question.
The accumulation of garbage can be controlled, either through better waste management, clean up operations, or penalties to deter those who might litter at such sites. However, in terms of littering laws, these already exist; therefore, there may be need for stricter enforcement of existing littering laws, with offenders being severely fined or compelled to clean up their garbage or participate in community service projects to cleanse the afflicted area.