One of my pet peeves is littering. I don’t understand why people litter. It is more than annoying. It stirs up so much internal anger in me. Deep within me, I’m screaming. “Why litter?” I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels the same.

Lately, I’ve been practising mindfulness. One of the things I’ve learnt is to analyse why certain situations or circumstances make me angry and what I can do instead. When I look at my anger with people who litter and trash in general, it stems from two main trigger points. I feel angry because I tend to think I have not done enough – or rather the government has not done enough- to encourage or support proper waste disposal. Two, I feel angry because only a few people tend to care about littering. It annoys me that some people are so casual when it comes to littering. 

Littering is a toxic habit. A subconsciously taught habit in most cases. Some people even go to the extent of saying “if I stop littering then someone won’t have a job”. Search thoughts are pure rubbish and belong in the dumpsite. Is it soo difficult to put a sweet wrapper in your pocket until you get to the nearest bin or even hold on to your disposable plastic bottle a little bit longer? Teaching an old dog new tricks is albeit difficult, it seems.

However, let’s also look at the bigger picture and consider the final destination of a disposable plastic bottle. Where does it end up if properly disposed of? Possibly as part of alternative building material, product or a recycled post or bench. In most cases in a dumpsite somewhere on the outskirts of a town or city. If not properly disposed of the worst case scenario is it will follow the water channel during a heavy downpour ending up in our rivers, lakes and ocean. Contributing to microplastics in the ocean. Choking our biodiversity. Increasing greenhouse gas emissions which are accelerating climate change. The same scenario applies to all other plastic wastes whether they were disposed of properly or not.

The questions we should be asking ourselves are; Do we have a proper waste disposal system or proper waste management plan? Will landfills (a pretty word for dumpsites) ever get filled up? Will our mindset on waste ever change? Will we ever reach a point where as a country and even a continent have a proper recycling system and waste management implementation plan? Will we ever solve the global waste problem?

According to The World Bank, in 2020, the world was estimated to generate 2.24 billion tonnes of solid waste, amounting to a footprint of 0.79 kilograms per person per day. The annual waste generation is expected to increase by 73% from 2020 levels to 3.88 billion tonnes in 2050.

Let’s not focus on the numbers so much though. Let’s think about our production and consumption habits. Let’s focus on reducing these numbers. If single-use plastics are still in production how are consumers expected to stop using them? Yes, there is a whole Sustainability Development Goal that talks about doing more and better with less, but how do we ensure it’s achieved?

So much pressure is put on the consumer to consider their daily actions. At the same time, companies that contribute to the global waste problem are channelling adverts with super creative branding strategies – especially in music videos, movies and TV shows, encouraging a disposable consumer culture. How do we expect the situation to change? It’s insane. Alternatives are available but the funds to support the growth and even research on this are limited. This also requires consumer behaviour change. Plenty of it. Everyone should be talking about waste at this point in time. It’s a crucial moment. 

One way this is been done is through global events such as World Cleanup Day and International Coastal Cleanup Day. In 2022 both events will be commemorated on 17 September. These events are crucial in harnessing the power of people around the world to achieve incredible things by joining together to create awareness of the global waste problem. However, this works towards behavioural change – a long-term process whose impact will be seen decades from now. Some actionable steps may be taken by a few companies but not the major contributors. 

Even though a one-day cleanup will definitely not solve the global waste problem, it is our responsibility as citizens of the earth to hold not only each other accountable but also ourselves. Governments are in a position to implement the waste management plans that exist. Sometimes policies don’t need changing they only need to be acted upon. Companies that contribute immensely to the global solid waste problem need to be held to account and develop products that are sustainable.

In March of 2022, nations committed to End Plastic Pollution and forge an international legally binding agreement by 2024 at the fifth session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-5). Kenya is among African countries like Tanzania, Mali, Cameroon, Uganda, Ethiopia, Malawi, Morocco, South Africa, Rwanda and Botswana that have strict policies on the use of single-use plastic. As governments continue to join the plastic-bag or single-use plastic-free movement, more needs to be done to ensure it’s not about signing an agreement but about taking the necessary steps that will lead to action. 

Every little change we make can help make a difference. As citizens, we can start with small steps. Use reusable items. Grow and take care of trees or a plant (think gardening). Take part in or organise cleanup activities in your local area (the more frequent the better). Reduce your carbon emissions by walking, carpooling or taking public transport. Spend time in nature with your friends and family. Act on your civic responsibility and write to your local government and hold them to account (was motivated when one of my uncles mentioned he does this). These little changes will eventually have a ripple effect on everybody – present and future. 

It is not your trash, but it is your planet. Also remember, if we did not litter every day and had a proper waste management system then we wouldn’t need a World Cleanup Day. 

Featured image of a section of Nairobi River © Anthony Ochieng/ TonyWild