From the title you may garner that I am only speaking to the people of Trinidad and Tobago or to 'Trinis' as we affectionately call ourselves.....but that's not quite the case. I only titled it that because I hail from this beautiful twin-island republic and I've seen this issue first hand, and even played a role in it myself. That's enough blabbering, now let's get into it.
Yes, we need to talk about littering. The easily-solved, yet ever so ubiquitous bad habit of our modern society. For whatever reason, there seems a great deal of pleasure gained by carelessly tossing an empty beer bottle or KFC box out of a moving car window. Now you may not be guilty of doing that particular thing, but you probably have littered at some point in your life (and if you haven't, then you must be a saint so thank you for your service).
Not only is the garbage in these photos sorely displeasing to the eye, but it presents a variety of problems such as air, land and sea pollution which lead to adverse consequences in the surrounding environment, and ultimately to our health and well-being.
I vividly remember as a child on mornings before school, I would buy a pie and a juice for breakfast sometimes while I waited on transport. As I finished up my cheese pie and box juice, I'd carefully look around and wait for my little window of opportunity....the opportunity to dispose of the burdensome plastic bag and paper box that I had no interest in carrying any longer. Once the coast was clear, little me would nonchalantly toss my garbage into the bushes. That wasn't my problem anymore. I was free of it.
Now did I feel guilty about it? Maybe for a minute. After all, I did wait until no one was looking; and it wasn't just because someone may have told me about it. I knew what I was doing was wrong, and inwardly I was very ashamed; but I did it anyway. There seemed to be no garbage bin for miles and I certainly wasn't going to keep trash on me until I got to school. The alternative was far easier.
Eventually I stopped doing that altogether and started stashing my plastic bag and box in my bookbag instead. I don't know if guilt had overcome me or that I got smarter but I just didn't want to litter anymore; not that I ever really did. And while I did do it from time to time, I can safely say I've completely stopped doing it now and have for some time. I want to live in a clean environment and I assume that most people do too, despite them doing things to counteract that reality. It's just in our nature to be messy sometimes or 'wotless' as we like to say here. Nobody is perfect of course, but being mindful to the consequences of our actions is extremely vital.
As you read this, we're in July (Plastic-free July no less, but more on that in the next blogpost) and heading deeper into the hurricane season. Tropical Storm Elsa has made herself known and we know that her friends will follow. This is the time of the year when heavy downpours cause major flooding events across the country and the Caribbean. It is a well-known fact that your litter can and will clog drains and waterways, thereby increasing the likelihood of flash flooding.
It's unfortunate that rivers like these and the ocean by extension are treated like its our own personal dumping ground. Of course a portion of that trash came from drains that carried it into the river. This is what happens when our 'little' garbage that we believe to be so insignificant all come together, and this is nowhere near as bad as it can get; but we know how bad it can get.
The effects of flooding are profound. Loss of property, homes, and for the unfortunate few, their lives. Livelihoods can be swept away in an instant. Lives turned upside down with an overnight thunder shower. Yes, the government needs do their part by providing more bins and building better drainage systems but progress is not a one-way street. We as citizens have a role to play as well. If you see your friend doing it, don't turn a blind eye, tell them about it. Normalize speaking up about doing the right thing, because at the end of the day, it is us who have to face the music and these thunderstorms are not playing the tunes that we want to hear.
Please stop littering.