As an “analyst” who will be looking for new work soon, the sky’s the limit, as I learned in this New York Times article about the increasingly dangerous problem of idiots tying bulky items to the roof of their cars with little more than chewing gum and shoelaces.
Where “deliberate” litter used to reign – those blithely tossed fast-food wrappers and the like – “unintentional” or “negligent” litter from poorly secured loads is making its presence felt. Steven R. Stein, a litter analyst for R. W. Beck, a waste-consulting firm in Maryland, attributes the change to more trash-hauling vehicles, including recycling trucks, and the ubiquity of pickup trucks on the country’s highways. In 1986, Mr. Stein said, two-thirds of the debris was deliberate, but surveys now show the litter seesaw balanced.
(I’m glad this problem is starting to attract some attention, meanwhile.)