Garbage - We? or What we throw?

Hello Everyone,

This is first post and I will keep it around a very simple topic of people throwing garbage on streets and public places without any thoughts to the cleanliness of the surroundings and hygiene. Although this topic may seem very trivial to most of the people and many might scoff at it but the reality is, it is a very serious issue and for those who are thinking it very trivial, don't worry i will be taking on more serious issues and also pointing out how serious this issue is.

In Mumbai Marine Drive (a sea face road) is a very beautiful place, a nice spot for the family, friends and couples to spend some time together under the soothing noises of sea waves. But if anybody will take a look at the water a clear distinction is visible in the colour of the water as we go farther into the sea. The portion of the water which is nearest to the road is quite black, actually and muddy, littered with garbage. Now water being dirty is not the issue here but the main issue here is garbage with which the water is littered with.

I see many people going there and throwing their water bottles, edible waste and what not into the water. In fact I have seen people doing competition who can throw the garbage farthest into the sea. The people cannot be completely blamed for this because the city administration is also shares the blame for this. I once decided to take a count of the number of garbage bins placed on Marine Drive and you would be surprised to know that there are very few. Any two garbage bins are separated by a long distance and people actually feel lazy enough not to get up and throw the waste in a garbage bin. Why to waste energy when nature has provided such a good garbage bin in the form of sea. Considering the length of the Marine Drive there should be more garbage bins.

I picked this specific example to show case the contribution of the public as well as the administration in creating a problem and then not bothering to do anything about it.

Also there are general problems created by littering and garbage like diseases, bad smell, the beauty of the place is tarnished because of the littering.

There is a departmental store near the Churchgate station, which is nearby the Marine Drive. Once when I was purchasing some items there, I saw some foreign lady (most probably a tourist) enter in the store and looking for something. After few moments when she was not able to find what she was looking for she approached an employee and (to my shock) asked where she could find a trash bin because she was not able to spot any on the road. She wanted to throw the used ice cream cup she was holding in her hand.

I was a bit surprised and also ashamed to think that we being the citizens on this country don't pay any heed to keeping the streets clean and a lady of foreign origin was being considerate enough to actually ask for a dustbin.

I actually made a resolution since that day to stop being part of the problem and do something, even if that something is infinitely small in comparison to the whole picture. And now I always throw waste in a dustbin even if I have to carry that with me for miles before I spot a dustbin. Like I said we will have to start at the individual level to solve the bigger problems facing the world. Because if we do not start taking steps then we are no better than the garbage we throw out on the streets, we are equally rotten.

I will conclude this post with a dialogue from Die Hard movie which  has always been embedded in my soul since the time I heard it-

" If you are not part of the solution you are part of the problem... So quit being part of the problem"

I am proud to say that I am part of the solution.

What are you - part of the PROBLEM or SOLUTION

Thanks
Genie Signing off.