Hosting My Own Litter Clean-Up Event!

 Hello fellow anthropologists!


In March 2023, I held my own litter clean up event. With a team of only four people, we cleaned up a basin in a community that had excessive amount of trash in it. We managed to fill over 12 bags with the litter we collected. The trash had likely made its way into the basin as it was blown by the wind from people's trash bins. It took us over two hours to clean up the whole area. Some of the items we found included plastic packaging, Styrofoam, balloons. cardboard boxes, and so much more. 

The clean up site was located in a very large community with recycling bins that were uncovered. It made me realize how important it is to for collection bins to have lids in order to reduce accidental littering and pollution. I would say that the thing that surprised me the most was the fact that the homes right next to the basin did not make an effort to clean up the trash near the property. I continue to ask myself why this was the case. Was it because people did not want to clean up after a mess that maybe their neighbor contributed to? Was it because it was too much work? The lost of questions can go on, but I still believe it is significant to observe this behavior. I cannot help but wonder if in other communities and cultures if the polluting of the basin would have been handled differently. 


In order to prevent future pollution, I think advocating for lids or some sort of cover over collection bins could be a useful and proactive way to limit the amount of trash blown by the wind. I am very grateful for this experience as it taught me how to network and communicate with those in my community and how to run my very own successful litter clean up event. 



Found an old mask. Covid-19 caused a significant increase in personal protection equipment, but has also led to severe amounts of pollution and littering. 



















Comments

Popular Posts