Littering means careless and improper disposal of trash (food, plastic bottles, chewed gum, cigarette butts etc.) at an undesirable/ unsuitable place.
Why Do People Litter?
It’s not about the age, experience, gender, financial/ educational background of the person- It’s about the mentality.
Let’s understand the psychology of the litterbugs with these real life examples.
1. What municipality will do? They should have some work. Right?
People think that, it is a Municipality worker’s responsibility to keep the area clean | Vicharoo
One day, while travelling, I met an old friend who now works as a tour manager in a famous travelling agency. She proudly told me that she has visited more than 17 countries at such a younger age and even showed me many photos taken at many world famous locations.
I was impressed, really impressed. We had some snacks wrapped in a newspaper. As we were still in a train, and there was no dustbin, I kept my paper wrap in my bag and she just threw it under the seat.
And that was the moment when I went mad! I asked her, “What is the use of visiting 17+ countries, if you still have not learnt any basic manners to keep your own country clean?”
I was really shocked to know her answer. She replied, “There are people to clean it. What would they do if everything is already clean? They should have some job, right?”
I felt pity for her. She had such a cheap mentality.
Most of the times, people litter because they believe someone else (municipal staffers or responsible neighbours) will pick up after them and it is the sole duty of the municipal staffers to come and sweep it clean.
2. It’s already dirty!
One day, I was going for a meeting with my highly experienced senior colleague, who was 60+ years old. He had a banana and threw the peel out of the moving car, and it fell down on the middle of a cement road with heavy traffic.
It happened so quickly that I couldn’t stop him. When he noticed my grumpy face, he shamelessly said, “Banana peel is biodegradable. It will become good compost and nearby trees will bless me.”
I just asked him one thing, “Do you really think it will turn into compost within few minutes, especially after throwing it on a cement road, in the middle of a heavy traffic?”
He had a good laugh and replied, “Come on! The road is already dirty! And anyways, you don’t live in this area. I won’t throw garbage in your area.”
I was speechless, but I understood one thing- Our roads are not dirty because nobody cleaned it, but because somebody dirtied it in the first place.
3. I keep my home clean and I am not responsible for the rest.
I have seen so many well-educated people who keep their house super clean. You will be amazed to see how all things are always kept in the right place in their house.
Unfortunately, their passion for cleanliness is only limited to their home. They are not at all bothered about the surroundings.
Such narrow minded people never feel hesitated to discard waste food out of their kitchen windows or just throw the broken hair out of their balconies after grooming.
Can’t they just use the trash bin in their home?
You may have a clean house, but what about your country? What about the streets? Aren’t they as important as your home?
So, when any particular area/ localities are dirty, the residents of that area are also partly responsible to this ill-fated situation.
4. My mom told me to do so
While travelling in a train, I saw a 5-6 year old girl throwing a plastic wrapper out of the window after eating a chocolate, and her mother was encouraging her to do so.
I stopped the girl, and very nicely told her not to throw it out. Her mother looked irritated and gave me a fierce look.
Surprisingly, the girl easily got convinced and even kept that wrapper in her small purse and said, “yes, that’s what my school teacher taught me. I will throw it in a dustbin once I reach station.”
“Good girl!” I was really happy.
But her mother’s face clearly showed that she didn’t like what just happened.
Children observe and learn from their parents. If the well-educated and sophisticated parents are encouraging their children to litter, how can we get a clean future?
Education is not about how well a person can read and write. It’s about how well he can think and understand the difference between the good and the bad.
Environment is not just a mere subject to get good grades. If you don’t practice all that you study, what’s the point of being educated?
The above incident may be a small thing, but just imagine if we all started practicing this small thing especially during the long journeys, every part of your country would turned out to be one of the most beautiful place in the world.
What Are The Effects Of Litter?
Litter attracts litter:
If the place is filthy and full of trash, it attracts more and more litter.
Spreads diseases:
Litter acts like a breeding ground for many harmful bacteria, rats and other pests that spread many dangerous diseases.
Clogs up the sewers:
Inappropriate dumping of litter (especially plastic) clogs storm drains and causes flooding after heavy rains and water pollution. It also ultimately contributes to contamination of soil and water sources.
It can cause a fire hazard:
Accumulated plastic/ paper waste and careless discarded cigarette butts can cause potential fire hazards.
It’s a waste of taxpayer’s money:
Regular Clean-ups require lot of money which obviously comes from the taxpayer’s pocket. So, even those who do not litter still have to pay the price for those who do it.
