Litter

v. toss or dump garbage in an unauthorized place; scatter objects in disorder; give birth to young (of animals); line with straw or hay

n. refuse, trash; disorder; number of young born to an animal at one time; curtained couch suspended between poles and carried by men or animals; stretcher; bedding for humans or animals (made of straw, rushes, etc.)

For other meanings of litter, see Litter (disambiguation). Litter is a waste type consisting of any tangible personal property which has been unlawfully scattered and or abandoned in a public place (usually outdoors). Tangible property abandoned in a private space is not considered litter. Litter is often caused by careless or accidental treatment of debris and waste as opposed to proper disposal. The American Public Works Association standardized the term litter in the mid-20th Century, to be later known as a form of solid waste—“…material which, if thrown or deposited, tends to create a danger to public health, safety and welfare.” Litter is categorized into three specific components: hazardous, reusable-recyclable and non-hazardous, non-usable. The most troubling litter is non-recyclable polystyrene foam and plastic. The “item most littered… worldwide” is the cigarette butt, at 4.5 billion pieces, yet the “largest volume component of litter,” accounting for 40 to 60 percent of total volume since the 1980s, is beverage container litter. Common, severe litter includes candy and gum wrappers, paper towels, food wastes, chip bags, aluminum and steel beer/soda cans, leather, rubber, clothing, textiles, wood, glass and metal projectiles, blown tires and treads, springs, vehicular and brake parts, drive shafts and bumpers. According to the Federal Highway Administration, litter tends to be found “…near intersections or crossroads, where a stop or reduced speed is required, and near beer and package stores, farmers markets, shopping centers, beaches, fast food places and solid waste dumps.”
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Noun
1. the offspring at one birth of a multiparous mammal
(hypernym) animal group
2. rubbish carelessly dropped or left about (especially in public places)
(hypernym) rubbish, trash, scrap
3. conveyance consisting of a chair or bed carried on two poles by bearers
(hypernym) conveyance, transport
(hyponym) covered couch
4. material used to provide a bed for animals
(synonym) bedding material, bedding
(hypernym) substance, matter
Verb
1. strew; "Cigar butts littered the ground"
(hypernym) be
2. make a place messy by strewing garbage around
(hypernym) strew, straw
3. give birth to a litter of animals
(hypernym) give birth, deliver, bear, birth, have
(hyponym) cub

(v. t.)
To supply with litter, as cattle; to cover with litter, as the floor of a stall.
  

(v. t.)
To put into a confused or disordered condition; to strew with scattered articles; as, to litter a room.
  

(v. t.)
To give birth to; to bear; -- said of brutes, esp. those which produce more than one at a birth, and also of human beings, in abhorrence or contempt.
  

(v. i.)
To produce a litter.
  

(v. i.)
To be supplied with litter as bedding; to sleep or make one's bed in litter.
  

(n.)
Things lying scattered about in a manner indicating slovenliness; scattered rubbish.
  

(n.)
The young brought forth at one time, by a sow or other multiparous animal, taken collectively. Also Fig.
  

(n.)
Straw, hay, etc., scattered on a floor, as bedding for animals to rest on; also, a covering of straw for plants.
  

(n.)
Disorder or untidiness resulting from scattered rubbish, or from thongs lying about uncared for; as, a room in a state of litter.
  

(n.)
A bed or stretcher so arranged that a person, esp. a sick or wounded person, may be easily carried in or upon it.
  

1. The highly visible portion of solid waste carelessly discarded outside the regular garbage and trash collection and disposal system. 2. leaves and twigs fallen from forest trees.