I can’t help wondering if leaving behind broken bottles, condoms, KFC bones and nappies at the perfect picnic spot is a millennial phenomenon.
Perhaps it has something to do with an attitude of entitlement that seems to be prominent among those born, or
reaching adulthood, in the 2000s. I say this because after seven decades on this planet, I cannot recall this ever having been the massive issue it is today.
Maybe it is linked to the disposable, throw-it-away age? ‘Getting wasted’ has always been a part of youth culture…but the emphasis is now on the ‘waste’ part. After witnessing the apocalypse-like sights left in the wake of Monday’s public holiday (eish, we still have Boxing Day and New Year’s Day ahead!), I thought I would see how other parts of the world compare.
Alas, not only is it not healthier, but in some instances it is far worse. As a ‘good’ and ironic example, Glastonbury this year was themed a ‘climate change festival’, and on that basis one would assume the attendees would be extra mindful of not polluting the venue.
No way, Jose. And it’s not for the lack of trying. Some time back, they banned glass bottles and only allowed plastic
containers on site. This simply created a new problem as the anti-plastic movement started.
I read an article from the Chicago Tribune which tried to explain the littering behaviour, even though we are raised to socially behave better.
‘There is almost a privilege felt, that you abandon cultured behaviour because you feel you paid for the right to let someone else worry about cleaning up after you,’ said Steven Corey, professor of urban studies at Columbia College.
Kinda like the visiting relatives who see no need to help with the cooking and cleaning.
Music festivals in the UK reportedly generate well over 20 000 tonnes of waste each year, which is sent to landfill sites.
It would be interesting to see a study on the correlation between drunkenness, music volume and waste generation.
After all, one does not see this sort of littering after a philharmonic orchestra performs. And it’s fascinating to see what pop concert-goers leave behind: shoes (only one of a pair), bottles, cans, IDs, wallets, underwear, condoms, tents…. So, are there answers that could help us?
According to Decoded Magazine, at the Fusion Festival in Germany, an extra 10 euros is added to the price and you are given a trash bag. If you bring back your full rubbish bag, the 10 euros is refunded.
One good idea they enforce overseas is that the promoters (ie those making money out of it) pay the clean-up bill.
Another is that new avenues for entrepreneurship open on site, such as bottle, plastic and paper recyclers, and pay toilet providers. As to our local situation, in spite of all the awareness we create through the endless articles, nothing changes.
Either they are unread or ignored or it’s deemed easier to clear up afterwards than prevent it in the first
place.
And we still aren’t sure if people are too lazy, unconcerned or drunk to walk a few metres to the nearest bin…because there are never nearly enough in the right places (bins that is, not people).
The only real answer lies in education and instilling lasting values from an early age. Which means it’s up to our homes and schools.
