PITCH-IN CANADA
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Re-Think
An educational Unit for children up to Grade 4
Written by Valerie Thom, B.Ed. and edited by Allard W. van Veen, APR, Fellow, CPRS

This unit has six chapters, each filled with information, ideas and projects.

Dangerous litter is created by people who, either purposely or thoughtlessly, don’t dispose of their garbage correctly and safely. Litter becomes dangerous when it poses a threat to wildlife, humans and/or the ecosystem. Dangerous litter can be found on land or in water. The following items are some of the examples of dangerous litter mentioned in relevant reference materials and research papers:

• Metal, glass and plastic items and fragments, which can be ingested by wildlife.
• Sharp objects such as broken glass, plastic or metal, which can cut.
• String, fishing line, rope, fishing nets, rubber rings, and wire, discarded on land and/or in the sea, which can trap land and marine life.
• Purposeful or accidental littering of hazardous wastes (such as poisonous chemicals) that can kill or seriously harm humans, wildlife and eco-systems.

The following are just some examples of how dangerous litter is created:

• Hikers discarding the leftovers from their lunch, including such items as drink containers, pull-tabs and sandwich wrapping, rather than packing it out.
• Recreational boaters throwing their garbage overboard, rather than bringing it back to shore.
• Fishermen discarding worn and damaged nets and equipment into the ocean or lake, rather than bringing it back for proper disposal.
• Dangerous or hazardous wastes escaping from garbage trucks, garbage barges, transport trucks, freighters, dumps or storage facilities.
• Ocean-going vessels dumping their garbage at sea.

Sewage outfalls without adequate treatment facilities resulting in discharges of dangerous litter into water bodies and on land.

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