- videos
- concept
Two loud and funny teams face off in a humorous tone about litter
Objectives: inform the public about pollution linked to litter and propose solutions to prevent it from polluting Lake Geneva.
- our stars
- Litter infos
What is littering?
Littering defines the leaving of litter out of a bin in the public space: this includes not only litter such as takeaway food packaging, PET bottles, beer cans, but also small litter, such as tissues , scraps of paper, chewing gum, cigarette butts.
When we think of littering, we imagine someone who deliberately threw their trash on the floor. In reality, studies show that a large majority of people consider that throwing their waste on the ground is unjustified. Despite this, there is still a large amount of waste on the ground. This behavior is therefore often linked to a poor knowledge of the problem, to oversights or justifications: we tell ourselves that a small piece of waste does not count, that it will be picked up, or that we have thrown our waste on the ground because it there was no trash can nearby. However, these justifications are unfounded: according to psychological studies, they are linked to an automatic defense mechanism that aims to prevent us from perceiving ourselves negatively following the execution of a behavior that we know is bad.
Unfortunately, no matter why or how you throw waste on the ground, its impact on the environment will be the same and it is therefore necessary to be careful how you dispose of your waste: no matter if it there are no bins available or what object you want to throw away, it is imperative that you never leave them on the ground, because this waste is much more likely to stay there than to be picked up and it is then certain that they will have a negative impact on the environment, human beings and the economy.
What are the consequences ?
Environmental impact
Waste left on the ground can pollute ecosystems: it spreads there via the wind or runoff water and reduces the quality of the environment.
Wildlife is particularly affected by litter pollution: by ingestion (waste can look like prey) or strangulation, which can lead to inflammation, reduced food intake or death. Over time, plastic waste breaks down into small particles, microplastics which can release chemicals, such as endocrine disruptors with negative impacts on physiology, metabolism, behavior or reproduction (reduction in the number of eggs laid , reduced growth). These plastics can also serve as a surface for biofilm and a habitat for viruses and bacteria.
Economic impact
According to the FOEN, 192 million Swiss francs are spent each year on cleaning the Littering. To these costs are added all the costs related to prevention and awareness, which are difficult to estimate. Either way, it’s a big part of the community’s budget.
Impact on humans
Litter diminishes the beauty of a place, with an impact on the hygiene of life, in particular via an increase in negative emotions such as anger and frustration and a decrease in positive emotions. There is also an impact on health, in particular via the risk of injury (especially for children), as well as a potential impact linked to the ingestion of microparticles.
What to do against littering
There are a multitude of very simple solutions to adopt to reduce littering and reduce its impact:
1. Reduce the amount of waste
Favor reusability: for a picnic, use reusable dishes, or those from home.
Refuse single-use plastics: at take away and during food and non-food shopping.
2. Properly dispose of waste
If the nearest trash can is full, there is usually another nearby.
After a picnic, check that you have not left any rubbish behind
Do not forget that small objects also count: small papers, cigarette butts, chewing gum
Pay attention to what can fall out of your pockets
Do not imagine that waste on land will be picked up: there is a much greater chance that it will be carried away by the wind or runoff water and have a negative impact on the environment.
3. And why not pick up trash found on the ground when you see one?
Association pour la Sauvegarde du Léman www.asleman.org
Infographies disponibles sur : https://asleman.org/infographies/
Aqua Viva 3 (2018) Les microplastiques dans nos lacs et cours d’eau
Bator, Bryan, Schultz (2011), Who Gives a Hoot ? Intercept surveys of litterers and disposers
Littering Toolbox Litterling-Toolbox: Qu’est-ce que le littering?<br> Comment lutter contre le littering? (littering-toolbox.ch)
OFEV – Le littering a un coût (2011) Le littering a un coût (admin.ch)
Pollution plastique – une bombe à retardement. Rapport de l’office parlementaire d’évaluation des choix scientifiques et technologiques (2020)
Zerowaste https://zerowasteswitzerland.ch/fr/notre-offre/nos-guides
- ASL Infos
Since 1980, the Association for the Safeguarding of Lake Geneva (ASL) has worked to ensure that the waters of the lake and its tributaries remain as pure as possible. After the battle won against phosphates and polluting pipes, other concerns require our vigilance, such as macro-waste, microplastics, micropollutants and invasive species.
The ASL raises public awareness of these issues, in particular by organizing actions on the ground that allow everyone to take action. Net’ Léman, the great cleaning around the lake, is one of its flagship actions, which brings together more than a thousand volunteers at each edition and allows the collection of between five and ten tons of waste of all kinds which are sorted and possibly recycled.
The ASL has been raising awareness for many years on the problem of litter and its impact on the environment and more specifically on the fauna and flora of Lake Geneva, as well as the water we drink. Through its many actions, the ASL manages to reach a wide audience.
Aware that changes in behavior are induced by multiple factors, the ASL seeks to establish actions that respect nature by informing the general public and proposing solutions to prevent waste from polluting the environment.
However, like other actors active in environmental preservation, it is more difficult to reach an audience less “acquired in the cause”. This is why the idea germinated to seek out the public who are at the edge of the lake, where litter is regularly found.
In order to favor positive communication, the project offers a funny and “in the wind” format which invites onlookers to come by themselves rather than to go “frontally” to meet them.
Therefore, improvisational theater is an ideal vector, because it allows messages to be conveyed in an offbeat tone and to reach young and old alike.
Improv Impact
Function: Creation of the “theatrical” concept and animation of the Trash Quiz
Presentation: Winning association of the UNIGE 2020 SD call for projects, co-founded by a former ASL civilist, whose aim is to raise public awareness of various societal issues through the performing arts and , mainly, theatrical improvisation.
Rogue Studio
Function: Sound and image recording, creation of visuals and media content.
Presentation: Specialist in social networks, with whom the ASL has already worked successfully as part of the creation of the Net’Léman application and its crowdfunding campaign in June 2019.
UNIGE (www.unige.ch)
Function: Advice on changes in behavior, even monitoring of the impacts induced by the project.
Association pour la Sauvegarde du Léman
Rue des Cordiers, 2
1207 Genève
022 786 36 20
Since 1980, the Association for the Safeguarding of Lake Geneva (ASL) has worked to ensure that the waters of the lake and its tributaries remain as pure as possible. After the battle won against phosphates and polluting pipes, other concerns require our vigilance, such as macro-waste, microplastics, micropollutants and invasive species.
The ASL raises public awareness of these issues, in particular by organizing actions on the ground that allow everyone to take action. Net’ Léman, the great cleaning around the lake, is one of its flagship actions, which brings together more than a thousand volunteers at each edition and allows the collection of between five and ten tons of waste of all kinds which are sorted and possibly recycled.
The ASL has been raising awareness for many years on the problem of litter and its impact on the environment and more specifically on the fauna and flora of Lake Geneva, as well as the water we drink. Through its many actions, the ASL manages to reach a wide audience.
Aware that changes in behavior are induced by multiple factors, the ASL seeks to establish actions that respect nature by informing the general public and proposing solutions to prevent waste from polluting the environment.
However, like other actors active in environmental preservation, it is more difficult to reach an audience less “acquired in the cause”. This is why the idea germinated to seek out the public who are at the edge of the lake, where litter is regularly found.
In order to favor positive communication, the project offers a funny and “in the wind” format which invites onlookers to come by themselves rather than to go “frontally” to meet them.
Therefore, improvisational theater is an ideal vector, because it allows messages to be conveyed in an offbeat tone and to reach young and old alike.
Improv Impact
Function: Creation of the “theatrical” concept and animation of the Trash Quiz
Presentation: Winning association of the UNIGE 2020 SD call for projects, co-founded by a former ASL civilist, whose aim is to raise public awareness of various societal issues through the performing arts and , mainly, theatrical improvisation.
Rogue Studio
Function: Sound and image recording, creation of visuals and media content.
Presentation: Specialist in social networks, with whom the ASL has already worked successfully as part of the creation of the Net’Léman application and its crowdfunding campaign in June 2019.
UNIGE (www.unige.ch)
Function: Advice on changes in behavior, even monitoring of the impacts induced by the project.
What is littering?
Littering defines the leaving of litter out of a bin in the public space: this includes not only litter such as takeaway food packaging, PET bottles, beer cans, but also small litter, such as tissues , scraps of paper, chewing gum, cigarette butts.
When we think of littering, we imagine someone who deliberately threw their trash on the floor. In reality, studies show that a large majority of people consider that throwing their waste on the ground is unjustified. Despite this, there is still a large amount of waste on the ground. This behavior is therefore often linked to a poor knowledge of the problem, to oversights or justifications: we tell ourselves that a small piece of waste does not count, that it will be picked up, or that we have thrown our waste on the ground because it there was no trash can nearby. However, these justifications are unfounded: according to psychological studies, they are linked to an automatic defense mechanism that aims to prevent us from perceiving ourselves negatively following the execution of a behavior that we know is bad.
Unfortunately, no matter why or how you throw waste on the ground, its impact on the environment will be the same and it is therefore necessary to be careful how you dispose of your waste: no matter if it there are no bins available or what object you want to throw away, it is imperative that you never leave them on the ground, because this waste is much more likely to stay there than to be picked up and it is then certain that they will have a negative impact on the environment, human beings and the economy.
What are the consequences ?
Environmental impact
Waste left on the ground can pollute ecosystems: it spreads there via the wind or runoff water and reduces the quality of the environment.
Wildlife is particularly affected by litter pollution: by ingestion (waste can look like prey) or strangulation, which can lead to inflammation, reduced food intake or death. Over time, plastic waste breaks down into small particles, microplastics which can release chemicals, such as endocrine disruptors with negative impacts on physiology, metabolism, behavior or reproduction (reduction in the number of eggs laid , reduced growth). These plastics can also serve as a surface for biofilm and a habitat for viruses and bacteria.
Economic impact
According to the FOEN, 192 million Swiss francs are spent each year on cleaning the Littering. To these costs are added all the costs related to prevention and awareness, which are difficult to estimate. Either way, it’s a big part of the community’s budget.
Impact on humans
Litter diminishes the beauty of a place, with an impact on the hygiene of life, in particular via an increase in negative emotions such as anger and frustration and a decrease in positive emotions. There is also an impact on health, in particular via the risk of injury (especially for children), as well as a potential impact linked to the ingestion of microparticles.
What to do against littering
There are a multitude of very simple solutions to adopt to reduce littering and reduce its impact:
1. Reduce the amount of waste
Favor reusability: for a picnic, use reusable dishes, or those from home.
Refuse single-use plastics: at take away and during food and non-food shopping.
2. Properly dispose of waste
If the nearest trash can is full, there is usually another nearby.
After a picnic, check that you have not left any rubbish behind
Do not forget that small objects also count: small papers, cigarette butts, chewing gum
Pay attention to what can fall out of your pockets
Do not imagine that waste on land will be picked up: there is a much greater chance that it will be carried away by the wind or runoff water and have a negative impact on the environment.
3. And why not pick up trash found on the ground when you see one?
Association pour la Sauvegarde du Léman
Rue des Cordiers, 2
1207 Genève
022 786 36 20
www.asleman.org