My wife and I swim six mornings a week, year round, winter or summer, hot or cold, on a lovely beach. We swim in spite of the temperature or condition of the sea. It is invigorating, refreshing and it stimulates the immune system. Unfortunately, the beach is not always free of trash. We have made it our civic duty, as loyal citizens of The Bahamas, to pick up the trash each morning before we swim. We pick up everything from condom wrappers, to food containers, clothing, towels, toys, tissue paper, shoes, beer bottles and soda cans. Sometimes we find money, cell phones, and wallets.
Why can't these people pick up their trash and place it in the nearby receptacles or take the trash home? Is it that they have no care for their surroundings? It has been four years since my wife and I have been picking up trash on the beach. When we first started picking up trash, the amount of trash we picked up each morning was equivalent to the size of one to two 33-gallon trash bags. Today, the amount is about two small plastic grocery bags. Yes, we have seen improvement, but there is room for improvement. We have noticed that many beach-goers are placing their trash in the receptacles. However, far too many just enjoy the beach but drop their trash. What a shame!
ATM trash cleaner
Why is it difficult for people to avoid leaving trash around? Why is it difficult for people to pick up trash when they see it, even if they did not put it there? I also call myself a bank trash-picker-upper. Most times when I go to an ATM machine there is trash on the floor in front of the machine. I really cannot understand how people can stand on a floor filled with simple slips of paper and not pick them up and place them in the receptacle provided. In fact, if each one picked up his/her own slip of paper, we would have no trash on the floor. So with my intolerable attitude toward trash at the entrance of banks, I first turn to the trash and pick it up while others pass by and do nothing. They just stand and watch me. I do this because it is my view that if I am at the bank with trash on the floor it is a refection of me. I feel uncomfortable standing on a bank line when papers are under my feet or at the entrance to the bank or a store as I just walked through.
Cultivated nastiness
The messages I am getting from people who refuse to pick up trash in their surroundings are: I am too good to bend down to pick up trash; it is not my job; it is the job of the cleaners or lower class people; I did not put that there, so why should I pick it up?
It is my view that people dressed in sophisticated clothing and who live in middle to upper class communities but who refuse to pick up trash at entrances of banks or on floors as they walk around, are just as bad as the people they look down upon in poor communities who leave mounds of trash in front of their properties. The only difference is the size of the mound. They are both nasty. In other words we have cultivated nastiness and uncultivated nastiness. They are both nasty.
Several years ago, my family traveled to Toronto, Canada, for vacation. We were amazed to see the attitude of people walking the streets when they saw a piece of paper on the ground. We noticed that if someone saw a person in front accidently drop a chewing gum paper, paper bag, or anything, the one behind, stopped, picked it up and deposited it into the nearest trash bin. You saw no trash on the ground in the city. It was clean. Everyone takes responsibility for keeping the city clean. Why can't we have the same kind of mindset and behavior in our country?
Let's begin today
Dear readers, join my wife and I as loyal citizens of this country who are neither afraid nor embarrassed to pick up trash and do not drop trash anywhere. We encourage you to stop littering yourself. The reason there is so much trash around is because many other people thought the same way. Just be on the lookout for trash bins, and be willing to hold on to your trash for a little while. When on the road, make sure items in the back of your truck are secured and nothing can blow out. Keep your truck bed clean and free of loose litter. If you own a business, keep your parking lot and the area around your dumpsters clean. Have trash containers available for customers. Keep them emptied so trash will not blow out of the containers.
Spread the word to friends and relatives about why littering is so bad. Don't hand out fliers because those could become litter themselves. Create awareness by writing letters to the editors of newspapers. Talk trash and emphasize how litter mars the beauty of the cities and countryside. Encourage citizens to work together to clean up the environment.
Start cleaning up. This can be done solo, with friends or in an organized group. Once you get started, you will not want to quit. Getting started is the hardest part. Don't be embarrassed to do it alone. Believe me, it will make you feel really good about yourself. Pick up litter while getting your walking exercise. A lot of people think picking up litter is disgusting and degrading. Litter is what is disgusting and degrading. If everyone would do a little to keep the environment clean, it would make a world of difference. Bring a plastic bag with you on trips, outings and walks.
You can pick up litter on the way to work or school if you don't drive. You may feel embarrassed if this is uncommon in your area, but you will eventually inspire others. You could occasionally take different routes for variety and to see if your actions have taken root with others. Start a community project for picking up trash.
Before you take a swim at the beach this holiday weekend, pick up the trash you meet, and do not leave any trash on the beach. Do not just stuff your trash into an already overfilled bin and leave thinking you have done your part. Take it with you and dump it at home or in another bin. When we become proud in picking up trash, we will soon become proud that we do not have trash to pick up anymore.
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