Littering: the scourge of our time

Some people may argue that South Africa has abandoned the Protea as their national flower and adopted a new one, “the plastic bag”.

Why people choose to litter is the real question. A common justification is simply that people are too lazy to dispose of their waste properly or that they are careless sometimes, but in essence, there might be so much more reason behind their actions.

The act of littering is characterised by waste material being carelessly dropped, especially in public places, either intentionally or unintentionally. Roger Southall, a professor in sociology at the University of the Witwatersrand, notes that littering is a venture by an individual or group where the disposal of waste items is done at public expense, in terms of not only public collection but public health and environmental enjoyment as well. 

In a study conducted at the University of South Florida in the United States, it has been proved that the issue of littering increases as the population of a country grows. Thus, where there are more people, there will evidently be more litter. 

In a South African context, this will mean that the amount of litter found in high-density communities like townships will be greater than the litter found in spread-out suburban areas. Southall also mentioned that the latter might be the case due to class, status, income and power differences in society.

Littering may also be attributed to the age of people. Mabuyi Gumede, an expert in coastal resort development from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, said that research has shown that the age group most prone to litter are those under the age of 19. She added that other people who litter could include individuals between the ages of 21 and 35. 

Gumede said that littering becomes a habit. “When people do something more frequently, it becomes a habit. Once the litter pile starts to heap up, people tend to feel less guilty for their own litter they drop,” he said. 

According to Gumede, this act is paired with the neglect of responsibility. “If you feel less guilty for the mess you caused, you will not feel the responsibility to clean it up,” he said.

According to the State of Waste Report (SoWR), published in 2020 by the South African Government, littering and dumping is a key focus area to determine the impact that waste has, not only on the environment but the economy of a country as well. 

In South Africa, 54,2 million tons of waste is generated per year, roughly amounting to a daily average of 2,5 kilograms per citizen, this is according to the 2019 report by the Association of Water and Rural Environment. The easiest way for many to get rid of their waste products is to dump it somewhere on an open field or an alley where it’s out of sight.

Someone who litters, who wishes not to be identified, said that he occasionally throws pieces of garbage out the window of his vehicle while driving. He said,  “the waste on the garbage dump drifts away anyway when it is windy”. 

He added that the garbage dumps in South Africa are not efficiently managed, contributing to the plastic bags caught on fences or the empty Simba chips packets at the side of the road.

The management of these dumps is linked to the local municipality of a town or city. Not only are they guilty of inefficient management, but also the act itself. “Municipal workers in South Africa tend to go on strike, many times resorting to strewing litter in order to convey a message,” Southall said. 

Southall also explained that when these workers demand better wages or act against their employers, they resort to these acts. Southall said that these workers do not realise that their actions also affect their jobs. 

“Litter along the highways and in the known beauty spots of the country threatens the tourism industry, which subsequently leads to less job creation,” he said. According to Southall, the effects of this are detrimental to economic growth and development.

Littering can be combated. In an article by National Public Radio (NPR), published in 2018, a Rwandan citizen speaks about the cleanliness of the community and that the change started from top management, being government. This has now filtered itself into the culture of the country, “Dignity has been a big sticking point for Rwandan President Paul Kagame”. 

According to the article, the perception of littering as “okay” can be changed with a positive mindset and attitude. Rwanda has placed national public holidays to persuade the public to be part of “operation clean up your country”, as citizens actively participate in restoring their country’s dignity.

In 2008, Rwanda banned plastic manufacturing with a few exceptions (hospital plastic aprons, plastic bags used in tree nurseries, plastic reservoirs and cellophane for food wrapping in hotels). 

The importation and use of plastic bags known as polyethene bags or non-biodegradable polythene bags (NBPB) have been banned. The reasoning behind the ban was to stop pollution and litter from the source, which in retrospect is the manufacturing process and importation of the product(s).

The most common products that are being littered are convenience foods and beverage containers, and tobacco products. 

Dr Renee Wever, a professor at Linköping University in Sweden, wrote, “litter is an environmental and social problem that is closely related to packaging.” People are more likely to litter packaging that is messier, such as beverages that have a cup-like form and are more likely to spill. 

These products fall within the messy criteria, which is why people do not want to keep the empty packages with them but rather discard them immediately, even if it means littering.

Educating people about littering takes more than just a week’s worth of campaigning in a year. Ensuring that people understand why littering is an issue should be the crux of the matter, the cause and after-effects should follow. As mentioned previously, Rwanda has put public holidays in place where people (everyone) are encouraged to help clean the city; this creates a united front as this is not a government issue but an “all of us” issue, where ordinary citizens will also be able to hold one another accountable when a fellow citizen is littering.

Through this, Rwanda has shed light on two other reasons behind littering, including a lack of education pertaining to the environment and the belief that there are no consequences for being a litterer. 

The latter may be true on legal and judicial grounds, but the environmental consequences and effects are unavoidable and influence living conditions. It is a cycle that ends with consequences for the person responsible for the litter.

Regarding littering and waste pollution, the South African Constitution sets out in section 24 about the environment that every person has the right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being. It is up to us as citizens to change our attitudes toward pollution and clean up our communities. – By Khanyisile Mahlangu and Jana Schlechter