Look around any public place - streets, parks, beaches - and spot garbage scattered everywhere. Seeing how people treat these spaces like their dumpsters is shocking. Just yesterday, I watched someone in a BMW toss their takeout bag right onto the street while the garbage bin was literally a few steps away. From coffee cups to candy wrappers, from old furniture to broken electronics - you name it, it's probably lying on some street corner right now.
The worst part? Nobody seems to care. Rich or poor, educated or not - people just drop their trash wherever they happen to be and walk away. They act like magic cleaning fairies will show up and deal with their mess. But there's no magic solution - just real people who have to clean up after others and a growing pile of garbage that's becoming everyone's problem.
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Why Do People Litter?
It's not just about India - everywhere you go, you'll find people who treat public spaces like their personal trash can. The reasons behind this behavior run deep, and they tell us a lot about how society views responsibility and cleanliness.
- Everyone plays a part in the problem. It's easy to point fingers at certain groups when we talk about littering. Some blame the poor communities for piles of trash in public spaces. But let's look at the bigger picture - what about those fancy neighborhoods where dog owners let their pets make a mess of every park and sidewalk? And while people are quick to blame slum areas for pollution, take a walk around any upscale apartment complex or industrial area. You'll find overflowing dumpsters, toxic waste from factories seeping into residential zones, and perfectly manicured lawns hiding improperly disposed chemical waste. The truth is, garbage doesn't discriminate by social class - every part of society contributes to this mess in its own way. From the guy in the penthouse tossing cigarette butts from his balcony to the street vendor leaving packaging waste behind - we're all part of this growing problem, whether we want to admit it or not.
- The 'not my problem' mindset. Most people take pride in keeping their homes spotless - you'll see them sweeping, mopping, and scrubbing their floors until they shine. But watch what happens to all that dirt and garbage they collect. Out it goes, straight onto the street or into the nearest park! It's like there's this invisible line at their doorstep where responsibility stops. Inside their house? They're cleaning champions. Outside? "That's the government's job," they'll tell you with a straight face. I've seen neighbors who would never dream of leaving trash in their living room casually dump their dog's waste in the community garden or pour dirty mop water right into the street. They've convinced themselves that keeping public spaces clean isn't their responsibility - it's somebody else's headache. This mindset is so deeply rooted that even when they see garbage piling up outside their gates, they'll step right over it, waiting for the city workers to come to deal with 'their job.' It's as if the moment waste leaves their property, it magically becomes someone else's problem.
- A habit we can't shake. Look at any street corner - garbage everywhere. Right next to empty bins! Makes no sense, right? But we keep doing it. At home, we're different - everything is squeaky clean. Step outside, though, and suddenly, we forget how to use a trash can. Other countries don't even need cleaning campaigns. No big fuss about it. People just don't litter. That's it. Here though? We need celebrities with brooms and massive campaigns just to remind us not to throw trash on the ground. And still, our streets are a mess. Years back, a friend visited from abroad. The first thing he asked was: "Why's there so much trash everywhere?" I had no answer. It's just become normal for us. We see it, step over it, add to it - day after day. Not because we like living this way. It's just a bad habit we can't seem to break. And you know the worst part? We'll keep our temples spotless and our homes perfect - then walk out and throw a wrapper right on the street. Public spaces aren't worth keeping clean, as if someone else will magically appear to pick up after us. But who? And when? Maybe it's time we stopped waiting for others to fix our mess.
- Our trash is different now. Back in my grandma's day, trash was simple - vegetable peels, leaves, leftover food. Chuck it in the backyard, wait a bit, and it'll turn into soil. No big deal. But look at our trash today - plastic everywhere. Those bags from the shop? They'll outlive us all. The yogurt that used to come in clay pots now comes in plastic tubs. Even our takeout comes wrapped in three layers of plastic. And it's not just plastic. We're throwing out old phones, broken computers, dead batteries - stuff that'll sit in the ground for hundreds of years, leaking who knows what into the soil. Sure, they're trying to ban plastic bags now, but let's be honest - we've already got mountains of stuff piling up with nowhere to go. The real kicker? We know this stuff is bad news. It is terrible for the soil, bad for the animals that eat it, and bad for us. But we keep using it because it's easy, it's cheap, and honestly, most of us don't think about where it ends up. Out of sight, out of mind, right?
What Littering Can Do to the Environment
Littering has a negative impact on the environment. In fact, it has become a serious environmental issue how to counter the ill-effects of littering. We all like to keep our houses clean, but after cleaning it many of us throw the garbage around due to which there is contamination of the entire environment. We never bother to understand that it's our responsibility for not polluting the atmosphere, and spreading diseases by littering.
Before throwing the garbage out of houses and shops in the drains made in the roadside, nobody thinks that if the same garbage gets stuck, then due to excessive flooding in the rainy season, dirty water will be seen flowing out of their own houses.
What are the Penalties for Littering
In most public places of the country, garbage bins are not kept, and where they are kept, they are not cleared for several days. In such a situation, the whole place is filled with dirt. People, too, do not have any shame or regret about making it dirty by spitting or spreading garbage anywhere. The absence of strict laws against those who litter has stood in the way of cleanliness in the country.
Littering in foreign countries falls under the category of crime and penalties are also levied on this. Citizens have the responsibility to maintain cleanliness in certain areas around their homes. At one time, there was a tendency to spit everywhere in China. But today it has been curtailed.
In Singapore, anybody is fined $200 for throwing garbage. No arguments are heard. There is a ban on chewing gum. Stray dogs are not found here. Similarly, police can impose fines for throwing garbage in the streets in America, Australia, and the Netherlands. North America runs a program to adopt highways. Under this, companies and organizations show a commitment to keeping a portion of the road clean. Germany, New York, the Netherlands, and Belgium have enforced container deposit laws under which people are encouraged to collect garbage.
In Kenya, waste is turned into works of art and sold. A fine of up to 2500 pounds can be imposed if anyone is convicted of spreading dirt in the UK.
Unfortunately, no central law has been made in this regard in India to date. In many cities, municipalities warn people of fines, but these are not implemented in practice.
Why Litter is Dangerous
In the form of garbage, the most disfigured item in the world is the cigarette butt. 4.5 trillion tons of butts are thrown annually. The time for the degradation of these remaining pieces of cigarettes is different. Some of them decay in five years, and some take up to 400 years.
Often, plenty of food is served in any public program and wedding ceremony, but leftover food articles are thrown out of the premises. Due to lack of cleanliness, garbage gets deposited on the side of the road, which causes many serious illnesses, for which we are responsible ourselves.
As the world develops and living standards increase, there is a corresponding increase in garbage generation. There is nothing wrong with it as long as we find ways and means of proper waste disposal. Everyone is aware of Mohenjodaro, the ancient civilization which is still known for the best arrangement of irrigation and drainage. So, let's get started today, and from now on, start the unique civilization of proper garbage management.
1. Learn to Use Waste Bins
The number of garbage bins should be increased, and they should be cleaned by the Municipal Corporation as a rule. If we can make some strict rules regarding cleanliness and not spread dirt along the lines of foreign countries, no one can stop the Swachh Bharat campaign from being successful. The full attention of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan should be on 'no littering.' It is true that the more people develop the habit of throwing garbage into the dustbin, the faster our country will move forward on the path of cleanliness.
- Children imbibe good or bad habits only from the elders. So, if we grow accustomed to using the garbage-can, only then our children will also adopt this good habit, and instead of throwing garbage anywhere, they would use the waste-bin only.
- Waste or trash-bin is not just required for sanitation but it is also the basic need of a civilized lifestyle. If all of us will adopt this lifestyle, then we will throw banana peel, peanut peel or even trash such as small pieces of paper in the dustbin.
- If there is a lack of dustbin, then we will keep such tiny litter in our purse, handbag or any carry bag and when we are able to access a dustbin, then put the same into it.
All of us will have to contribute to ensure that there is a presence of trash-can everywhere from the street, road to intersection. These places should have such a system of waste-disposal which is easily within the reach of everyone. However, Panchayat, municipality or municipal authorities can make a positive contribution to this work. We will all have to make a valuable contribution in developing the model of clean spaces; it will be possible only when everyone will adopt the habit of using the waste-bin to throw waste. For this, it is necessary to arrange a trash-bin at about 25 meters on every road and intersection so that more and more people can use it. Even today, it is commonly seen that the litter from the big shops is thrown on the road, whereas the garbage can is not very far away from their reach. Enough is enough; we all have to change this habit and use the waste bin.
So, let's all of us take a pledge that we will not spread the dirt on the road and always use the waste bin. By doing so, we will present the example of a mature, civilized lifestyle in front of the world.
2. Launching Awareness Mission
Everyone's participations is important to fulfil any work at the nation level, so if we all want to make our homes, villages and the country clean and beautiful then first of all people must be aware of it. Without the participation of all people, we cannot achieve this goal. So, if we want to clean our country then we all must be aware of cleanliness.
3. Cleanliness at Public Places
It is often seen that if we go to some public places such as railway stations, bus stations, and buy something to eat there, then we think it our freedom to throw plastic packets or other trash here and there. We do not even realize that we have done something wrong, that we have become irresponsible citizens. So, every citizen has a contribution towards making our country clean.
4. Recycling of Waste
It is possible to reuse many things thrown in the garbage. The waste of resources can be prevented by recycling and the environment can be conserved.
5. Involvement of Children and Youth
Children have a crucial role to play in the image of a nation. If the children of a country are aware, then they can definitely make their country clean and beautiful, as the strength of any country lies in the youth of that country. So, all children should be made aware of the need of hygiene from the beginning.
Conclusion
Everyone's participation is important to fulfil any work at the nation level. If we all want to make our homes, villages and the country clean and beautiful then first of all people must be aware of it. Without the participation of all people, we cannot achieve this goal.
Key actions needed include:
- Whenever we clean our house, we should throw the garbage in a fixed place.
- We should never throw garbage out of the roof or veranda because it can spread dirt in the streets.
- The drains attached to our house should be covered. These drains also breed worms and many types of mosquitoes, which give birth to several diseases.
- In public places, the waste bin should be used to throw away any trash.
- The household trash should either be disposed of or thrown in such a place where there is no human habitation.
Only through collective effort and awareness can we achieve the goal of a cleaner, healthier environment for everyone. As demonstrated by successful cleanliness campaigns worldwide, change begins with individual responsibility and must be supported by proper infrastructure and enforcement of regulations. The time to act is now before our waste problems become insurmountable.
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