What’s up with all the litter? Litter reflects an uncaring attitude. Our waste reduction/recycling programs can help change that attitude by being transparent and teaching concern for our natural environment and other people.
A comprehensive waste reduction/recycling program including a fenced, manned, immaculately clean, family friendly, parklike drop off center, complemented by ongoing education for all ages is very effective in changing attitudes.
Such a program goes deeper than moving materials around. Citizens who haul their own discards, sort them themselves, and are continually exposed to truthful information, become citizens who think about how their lifestyle effects others. Thinking begets change.
To keep the information relayed through your program, honest, transparency must be foundational. Be wary of those programs that brag about how much stuff “they take”. Take it where, do what with it?
It’s also important to remember that you don’t have to divert waste you don’t create. Reusable shopping bags don’t become litter or need to be recycled. Continually raise your own awareness by evaluating each purchase you make. Is it necessary, will it last, did the person who produced it receive a livable wage? Our purchasing and discarding habits can create a better world for everyone.
Louise Mann