Let’s change the culture of littering

A better sense of the damage we can do will help us keep our environment clean and tidy

Camels eating garbage in the desert. Courtesy Dr Ulrich Wernery

The mild weather at this time of year invites us to spend our leisure time outdoors, picnicking in parks and on beaches, or camping in the desert. But too many of us are inconsiderate towards the environment we seek to enjoy, by leaving our rubbish behind when we go home.

It seems that any place where people gather ends up being littered with plastic bags, bottles, styrofoam containers, food wrappers and cigarette butts. We don’t leave these things lying around at home, so why do we do it in public places?

As Dr Mansi Desai, senior environmental officer at Emirates Environmental Group, told The National, there is a general lack of awareness about the harm litter can cause the environment. Litterers fail to understand the extent of the damage they are causing, because it has no direct effect on their lives. They just drop their rubbish and move on, believing that it is the responsibility of municipality workers to tidy up after them. But this creates a cost in terms of manpower and time used. And when the littering is done in the desert, at remote campsites that are not regularly serviced, it can cause enormous environmental damage. Camels and other animals can die in agony from consuming plastics and other waste we leave behind.

Somehow it has become acceptable for people to drop their rubbish without a thought. In many other countries, litterers not only face fines, but they also face the wrath of their fellow citizens who are offended by this behaviour.

There are several ways to address the problem, including on-the-spot fines and public awareness campaigns. We could also look at imposing limits on the amount of disposable packaging used by food outlets – does a single burger really have to be delivered in a paper wrapper, then enclosed in a box and placed in a paper bag? Supermarkets could be required to charge for plastic bags, encouraging people to recycle them and rethink the need to use so many.

Moreover, the community needs to come together to condemn littering. We have seen volunteers gather to tidy up after great national celebrations. We need to carry that attitude – that sense of pride in our city and country – forward into everyday life. After all, a bird doesn’t foul its own nest, and neither should we.