The Local and their Rubbish!

[Mark Berkowitz]

8 minutes ago, Onemore52 said:

Could be something in the water on why peoples attitudes are changing

I really don't know, but I've just read up on your country's littering problem, and it still seems to be a challenge for Australia to sort out.

"Mr Hay said public attitudes to littering and cleaning up needed to change.

In a Keep Australia Beautiful national survey about litter, 90 per cent of respondents said they were opposed to litter but only 7 per cent said they participated in clean-up programs.

He said that some behaviours, like discarding cigarette butts on the street, were often not considered as littering.

"We have walked up to people who throw cigarette butts on the pavement and said 'excuse me, you have just littered' and they don't believe that they have," he said.

He said the survey showed people in their early twenties seemed to be the most likely to throw rubbish from cars.

"It's just not the right thing to do to chuck any type of rubbish out of the window," he said.

"What is the problem with just keeping rubbish in your car until you get home or get to the nearest bin?

"It's not a hard thing to do; it's very simple."'

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-26/wa-worst-for-littering-keep-australia-beautiful-council/6726272

[Hobbit112]

1 hour ago, Mark Berkowitz said:

The US had the very same problem, but it's gotten much better since we began our 'Keep America Beautiful' campaign.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keep_America_Beautiful

 

Very true!

[Hobbit112]

17 hours ago, hk blues said:

Lack of pride in their property  and surroundings.  A quick look at many of the properties here and you will see disrepair, lack of maintenance and general apathy towards their property and surroundings.  

Their cars are well-maintained and always clean, though!  

I saw it also in the US.  There were times I went out to appraise a property and the car in the garage was worth more that the house!

[Onemore52]

I wonder if it has something to do with the origins of the people that Australia is bringing in.

[Tommy T.]

Maybe this is a bit off the topic? But one time - maybe 25 years ago - I was on my small motorcycle in Bremerton Washington and waiting at a stoplight. The guy in the car next to me to my right flicked his still-lit, but short, cigarette butt out his window and it landed just in front of me. I rolled the bike forward a little, picked up the butt and handed it back to the guy saying, "Sorry sir, I think you dropped this." He took it, didn't say a thing... then the light changed and that was that. It probably went back out the window again? I can sometimes be a bit of a jerk, but it seemed the right thing to do at the time. I really hate litter and trash and the people who don't dispose of these properly.

[Mike J]

2 hours ago, Mark Berkowitz said:

The US had the very same problem, but it's gotten much better since we began our 'Keep America Beautiful' campaign.

My wife and I gave a two hour presentation to a group of highschoolers about stopping litter and the benefits of recycling and composting.  As my part of the lecture I showed them multiple pictures of the USA before and after major clean up efforts.  I also showed the "Keep America Beautiful" video showing Chief Iron Eyes Cody.  I also explained to them how they could "adopt" the road beside the school and keep it litter free as an example to others.  My wife then spoke to them about recycling and composting.  After the lecture the students formed groups and walked the entire campus area picking up recyclables materials and compostable materials.  They left every single piece of litter that was not on the recycle list.  I was so disappointed that I did not know whether to laugh or cry.  

[Jack Peterson]

24 minutes ago, Tommy T. said:

I really hate litter and trash and the people who don't dispose of these properly.

 Yes Tom I think you mentioned it once or Twice 

[Tommy T.]

Yeah... I tend to sometimes repeat myself repeatedly...sorry.

[Mark Berkowitz]

17 minutes ago, Mike J said:

They left every single piece of litter that was not on the recycle list.  I was so disappointed that I did not know whether to laugh or cry.  

Reminds of the the Philippines... only the sellable litter is ever picked up. 

[hk blues]

7 hours ago, scott h said:

Just a quick comment about the above. I believe part of the problem is the method of property valuation. Unlike in the states, (and that is my only point of reference) where each individual property is valued. Here it is done by Barangay and zip code by square meter and it is only updated every 10 years or so. Like I said, its only PART of the problem but seems to me there is little incentive to maintain or improve your property.

I take you point but I take care of my place for my own enjoyment rather than improving the value of my property - what would be the point as property sale here seem so erratic and market values seem to have no real pattern - at least in my area?  I think it's because it's a relatively new subdivision with thousands of new homes.