Littering Don’t be a litter bug

The act in itself is defined by The Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 "as any solid or liquid domestic or commercial refuse, debris or rubbish and, without limiting the generality of the above, includes any glass, metal, cigarette butts, paper, fabric, wood, food, abandoned vehicle parts, construction and demolition material, garden remnants and clippings, soil, sand or rocks, and any other material, substance or thing deposited in or on a place if its size, shape, nature or volume makes the place where it was deposited disorderly or detrimentally affects the proper use of that place, deposited in or on a place, whether or not it has any value when or after being deposited in or on the place." What we are talking about is littering.

Most of the solid wastes, like paper, plastic containers, bottles, cans, and even used cars and electronic goods are not biodegradable, which means they do not get broken down through inorganic or organic processes. Thus, when they accumulate they pose a health threat to people.

Additionally decaying wastes also attract household pests and result in urban areas becoming unhealthy, dirty, and unsightly places to reside in. Moreover, it also causes damage to terrestrial organisms.

Littering is a form of land pollution that is illegal in many countries but despite these seeming "problem solvers," there still lie the undermining problem. A popular example is the system by Walt Disney where bins are placed 12 feet apart. Why? Because it was noticed that the average person walks twelve feet then drops his/her litter.

The best ways to tackle to littering is not only through public awareness and fines to scare some people into following the law but also to teach our children to do the right thing and dispose of their litter properly. Recycling factories that were established by Governments should be utilized for non-biodegradable material.

In Guyana, we can utilise our refuse for example by re-using our plastic bags, return glass bottles to the beverage companies, re-use your water bottles and other items.

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