Why Strewn Rubbish Makes a Location Look More Dangerous
February 9th, 2010
Wander into your local town or city during the early hours of the morning and you will encounter a number of applied sweepers on the roads cleaning up the rubbish left from all the partying of last night. It’s a typical early morning time setting, particularly the beeping noise! We don’t often give litter a consideration as we feel keeping the streets respectable is not our job.
All the same, there is a subtle yet important impact litter plays on human psychology. One is more likely to think an area is less well policed if litter is scattered around, and hence felons see litter as a possible signal for an opportunity of a break-in, a mugging, or car-theft. The very same signal creates some concern in other individuals who worry they may be passing through a more risky area and are wary of being assaulted.
There’s also the impact on the visual appeal of an area. Rubbish strewn about can make an area appear unkempt even though it’s just been trashed by revellers from the previous night. This can harm the reputation of a location if individuals are only within the area for this particular short period of time and only view it in its untidy state.
There’s no need to drop litter if there are unfilled rubbish bins around the area. If there are no bins, or the bins that are there are stuffed, this is an issue to address the local council with. Littering has a negative influence on everybody.
Entry Filed under: Psychology Center