LITTER FACTS & MYTHS: DON'T BE A LITTER BUG!!!!!!

What is litter? It simply is trash put in the wrong place, in a place where it doesn't belong.

Trash can belong any number of places - in the garbage can, in the recycling bin, in a reuse facility, at the sanitary landfill or the waste-to-energy plant. Where it does not belong is on the ground, in the rivers or oceans or blowing in the air.

Litter originates from SEVEN major sources. Four are stationary sources where people live and work - household trash collection areas, business trash collection areas, business and industrial loading docks and construction and demolition sites. Three are moving sources - uncovered trucks, motorists and pedestrians.

Although there are many reasons given for littering, two of the most common are not having a disposal container available and being too lazy to walk to the recycling or trash container. Although most people will agree litter is ugly, most do not know it has economic, legal and environmental repercussions as well.

Litter is ugly. No one likes to live where there is litter. Neighbourhoods with a litter problem usually have higher crime, lower property values and less pride in their neighbourhood. Litter begets litter. A place that is littered tends to encourage more litter i.e. a dropped off washing machine soon encourages other debris and a dump site is formed. So, the quicker dropped litter is picked up, the less chance it has of accumulating.

Litter is also expensive. Every year, governments spend millions of shillings cleaning up litter. Houses for sale in littered neighbourhoods usually don’t get the best prices and owners lose money. Fires started by dropped or dumped litter cause millions of dollars of damage every year.

Litter is illegal. Kenyans are unaware of littering fines. In Pennsylvania, if you are caught littering from a vehicle, you can be fined up to $300 (KES 26580). Most localities also have fines for businesses or pedestrians caught littering. Littering in Kenya should perhaps be made a serious offence punishable by such hefty fines as it will be against the law. This will enable Kenyans and make them aware that opening a package of gum and dropping the wrapper on the sidewalk is doing an illegal act and, if caught, MUST face charges!!! Maybe then, the country will be cleaner.

Litter hurts people. Young children fall on litter in playgrounds, get cut and need medical attention. Litter also harms plants and degrades natural areas. When garbage is dumped, it can kill or stunt plant growth. Few people think about the harm to natural areas from litter.

Litter kills or injures animals. Many small animals crawl into bottles or jars and get stuck and slowly starve to death. Animals get caught in plastic six pack rings, plastic bags, fishing line and a multitude of throwaways. Birds that are stuck can’t fly away from danger. Sometimes animals caught in six pack rings are strangled as they grow too big for the opening. Animals get cut, infected and die. Every year, millions of birds, fish and animals die from litter.

Litter is a problem that can be controlled. Education is an important tool. People who are aware of the dangers of litter often make more of an effort to always put their trash the correct place. They also spread the word to others they see littering and teach them to dispose of garbage the right way. Community clean ups encourage people to take pride in their community and keep it clean. Quick removal of litter keeps it from growing into an unmanageable dump site. People can make a difference. Litter can be conquered.

MYTH: Litter control is not important.

FACT: Litter may not be the most dramatic or exciting of the many problems that threaten the quality of our environment, but it is a problem which affects everyone in the community

MYTH: Only "certain types" of people litter.

FACT: "Litterbugs" can be found among people of every age, sex, race and ethnic origin, at every level of society and in all geographic locations

MYTH: Littering creates jobs.

FACT: LITTER COSTS MONEY. Taxpayers pay millions of dollars annually for roadside clean-up. Not a good way to spend out taxes.

MYTH: No one notices litter.

FACT: LITTER DESTROYS THE BEAUTY OF A COMMUNITY. Tourism is an important part of government's economy. People come from all over the world to see the beauty of our countryside, towns and cities. When litter mars their enjoyment, governments lose valuable tourist shillings.

MYTH: Litter doesn't hurt anyone.

FACT: Litter is a safety hazard. Litter is a breeding ground for fire and disease, for rats and disease-causing bacteria.

FACT: Ingesting litter causes injury or death to thousands of pets, wild and farm animals.

MYTH: Litter doesn't affect the economy.

FACT: Litter discourages economic development because it impacts real estate values. Good stores and important businesses will not locate in a community which lacks the pride to effectively control litter.

Before you litter next time, think of all the consequences that will follow!

(Adapted from PENNdot, customized for Kenyans by Purity Wanjohi)

NAIROBIANS AND THE 3 CHAMBER BINS

The Nairobi City Council environmental department has put in place 3 chamber bins that enable segregation of waste at source. The bin has been clearly labelled: plastic litter, biodegradable litter and other litter (sand, glass, etc.). This is a great initiative but how many people really read the labels? How many people put their waste corresponding to the labels of the bins? Well, I took time to find out.

I went around in town and peeked into each of the 3 chamber bins located in the CBD. In addition to that, I also had the opportunity to watch people use the bins. The results: amazingly shocking. (Did I mention that I looked liked I had lost my mind?) Anyway, in all of the bins, the public had not followed the well written instructions. They also did not take time to put the waste into the corresponding bin. The waste was mixed up as they just used the bin. For a people who have over 300,000 graduates per year, this was quite disheartening. It is even harder to comprehend because in addition to the instructions are colours. Blue, green and brown. If we are the most educated county in the country, how would people in Wajir or Mandera use the bins? Are you among the people who do not use the bins appropriately?

The 3 chamber bin

I am inclined to say that we are educated but not learned. We study to pass exams and we only do what benefits us. Can you see that piece of paper next to the bin? Someone was too in a hurry to place it inside the bin. That person may be the very same one saying the government is at fault for the filthy state of Nairobi. Has the government not built for us the 3 chamber bins? Has it not given us free access to basic education so that we can be able to read the instructions? Has God not given us the responsibility to take care of our surroundings? What will it cost us to put our PET bottles into the blue bin for plastics?

What we don’t know is that when all the trash has been taken by the NCC, we spend millions of our hard earned money separating it. One may argue that this is creating employment. I say that this is revenue spent unnecessarily. How about we use that money to generate jobs in sustainability development? Waste that cannot be separated because it is too mixed up is sent to the ever growing Dandora dumpsite. And it is only a matter of time before what happened in January, 2006 in the Philippines happens in Kenya (google what happened). We will then be spending on funerals and in machinery to recover the buried people.

It is one thing to have nothing being done about anything and a different thing when something has been done and we do nothing about it. Do not be the reason why Nairobi is full of litter. In other news, Mazingira Safi Initiative celebrates children alongside Nigeria in today's World Children’s Day. Bring back our girls.

For the love of children

Article written by Purity Wanjohi