Trash and Litter in India – A socially accepted behavior threats the environment and surroundings

During a recent visit to north India, (after a long time, I might add) I noticed something obvious. May be I was comparing everything to living abroad. Anyhow, on my way back to America, I wrote this post during a stop-over – while waiting for my connecting flight in Amsterdam.

All around the globe, the world is taking a note of India’s economic growth. The country has made tremendous progress over the last 10-15 years. It is something to be proud of, to be very proud.

However, we must acknowledge, if there is any aspect in which India or Indians have not moved forward – or moved very sluggishly, – is in the field of environmental cleanliness and taking care of the surroundings.

By ‘surroundings cleanliness’, I mean caring about our neighborhood hygiene and upkeep beyond the doorsteps of our own home.

If you look around, trash and litter is everywhere. Nobody seems to care about the waste, and how we discard it. If anything, we add to the garbage that is already abundant in the open and is everywhere. Littering a plastic cup on the road-side, after we are finished using it, is the norm. No one realize anything wrong with it. Throwing our waste on the street, and right outside our own house is a part of our daily routine. That’s how we are, that’s what we think is normal. Having waste and garbage scattered around everywhere does not bother us. We are content within ourselves as long as our house is polished clean up to the front doorstep. When it comes to surroundings, that’s where our responsibilities seem to end; that’s where we tend to stop – our doorsteps. Continue reading →