Fear Levels Raised when Humans See Littered Area
Stroll around your nearest city during the early hours of the dawn and you’ll discover various road sweepers out and about tidying up the rubbish left from all the shenanigans of the previous night. It’s a normal early daybreak scene, especially the beeping noise! We don’t often give rubbish a second thought as we feel keeping the streets unlittered is not our job.
Yet, there is a subtle yet important influence litter has in terms of determining the mood of people. We are more likely to believe an area is lacking law and order if litter is lying around, and so criminals see rubbish as a latent indication for an opportunity of a break-in, a mugging, or car-theft. The same sign creates some fearfulness in other people who are concerned they may be strolling into a more dodgy location and are wary of being robbed.
Not only that, but also the influence on the aesthetic attraction of a neighbourhood. Litter lying around can make an area appear unkempt even if it’s only been trashed by party revellers from the night before. This can hurt the reputation of a place if people are visiting the area for this specific short period of time and only find it in its littered state.
There’s no need to throw rubbish if there are unfilled bins in the area. If there are no bins, or the rubbish bins that are there are stuffed, this is an issue to address the local council with. Throwing rubbish has a negative influence on everyone.
