Pride vs. Practice: The Paradox of NYC Residents Who Litter

Written By Angus Jackson

By Angus Jackson

New York City will win praise for exuberance, diversity, and civic pride. Yet, underneath the pride that New Yorkers typically profess, there is a dilemma: most also admit to littering. The dilemma reveals the juncture where social identity, infrastructure, and norms converge, and that to change behavior requires something beyond legislation—aligning public pride with public practice.

In 2025, the Sanitation Foundation surveyed people. It was established that 83 percent of New Yorkers believe that trash litter is a significant concern in the city, but 38 percent of respondents admitted that they fail to dispose of trash responsibly at all times. Only 29 percent admitted to never having thrown trash on the ground. The majority of respondents cited the absence of trash facilities, hastiness, or the object being too small. This gap between what people say and what they practice is indicative of social tension in public behavior. The same poll also illustrates that among individuals who identify themselves as litterbugs, the overwhelming majority claim pride in NYC, suggesting that pride in itself is inadequate to prevent trash litter unless the practice is elicited by the environment or social duty.

In neighborhoods like the Bronx, nearly half the respondents to the survey confessed to littering "from time to time," among the highest rates of self-litter in the city. That suggests pride is distributed unevenly—or that constraints (fewer trash cans, cluttered sidewalks) enable the possibility of litter elsewhere. This unevenness catches up with infrastructure: studies of trash can availability in NYC show that neighborhoods with higher median household incomes are the very neighborhoods most likely to have plentiful trash cans, making proper disposal the easy way out compared to others. Where trash cans are scarce or inaccessible, even concerned citizens may be tempted to turn to litter as an easy way to get rid of trash.

Attitudes matter too. In baseline interviews as part of the Sanitation Foundation's "Dirty Truth" study, the majority of New Yorkers said that they believe littering is inappropriate and that trash receptacles should be made available, as opposed to assumptions about behavioral change. Some even admitted that they had nothing better to do and thus ended up littering. Others relented that they had no reason to be careful about their trash if everybody else wasn't as well.

With such efforts, pride is being brought into alignment with responsibility. The "Don't Do NYC Dirty" program appeals to New Yorkers' pride, challenging them to act on it by disposing of trash responsibly. Community volunteer groups such as the "Adopt Your Spot" program enroll former litterers and devoted citizens to take care of swaths of sidewalk or park, making private responsibility a public gesture. When the neighbor is quick to keep the area tidy, there can be a shifting of the norms — the area becomes less polluted and highly respected. The pride-practice gap in NYC essentially means that banning regulations will be futile on their own. To reduce trash, city leaders and campaigners must turn people's civic pride into practice with easy access to dustbins, consistent service, and positive reinforcement. Pride must turn into practice if New York is to be faithful to its vision of a clean city.

Sources used:

Angus Jackson
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