Don't trash the streets
Ray McFarland chinadaily.com.cn  Updated: 2005-12-27 08:09

Many places in China either don’t have laws against littering, or if they do, don’t seriously enforce them. While this in itself is sad, Chinese people don’t have to wait on their local governments to show some respect to their streets. Law or no law, littering is uncivilized and runs counter to the notion of building a harmonious and well-off society.

While the situation has modestly improved over the past few years, still way too many people throw trash on the ground to their hearts’ content. When I first came to China a few years ago and talked to some Chinese friends about this, they replied that sooner or later street cleaners would pick up the garbage.

“Besides,” they joked, “it gives the street cleaners something to do.”

True, under-appreciated and underpaid cleaners do eventually pick up the trash. I have seen them at work. Rain or shine, every morning they get up very early, often before 5:00 am, and pick up seemingly tons of trash and sweep the streets. Often before 7:00 am, when most people are just waking up, the streets are already clean. Nevertheless, my friends’ logic is flawed.

If I were to arbitrarily throw trash on the floor in the home of a friend, it would be a sign of disrespect, and that friend would most deservedly give me a tongue-lashing or even show me the door, and rightfully so. In the same way, throwing trash on public ground is also very disrespectful, because public property is owned by all of society, not just by one person. In addition, littering makes an area look trashy and dirty. Sometimes it can even make a place smelly. A trashy, dirty, and smelly environment is not a harmonious and well-off one.

Now I know that in many places there are not enough trashcans. Accordingly, the relevant authorities need to invest more in this field. Nevertheless, you still shouldn’t litter. I am happy to say that in my years in China not even once have I ever thrown any trash on the ground. If I have a piece of paper or package or even some snotty tissue that I don’t want, if I can’t find a trash can, I put them in my pocket and wait until I get home to throw them away.

I don’t know: Maybe many people don’t like to put trash in their pockets for fear of making them dirty. But I rather dirty the inside of my private pockets than dirty up an area’s public image with my garbage.

But even when there are trashcans, people still litter. Many times while out on the street I have seen people throw trash on the ground, with a lonesome trashcan standing as little as 2 meters away! Feed the poor can! That’s why it’s there!

I have witnessed the following situation on buses: Some people throw some garbage on the ground, and the ticket seller admonishes them, telling them to open the window and throw the trash outside! So I guess the trash bags that often hang near the doors of the buses are just for decoration.

I have also seen car drivers when stopped at traffic lights, open their doors and set empty cups or garbage outside. Why not just keep the trash in your car and dispose of it later? Most of the time when you buy some food or drink, it comes with a bag. Use the bag to store your garbage until you can properly dispose of it. Don’t be a slob (a lazy and dirty person).

You know, when you throw something you want onto the ground, you are behaving like a baby or a spoiled brat. That is what a baby does: throw things it doesn’t want onto the ground. Because it doesn’t know any better. Now spoiled brats just do whatever they want, whether they know better or not. When they don’t want something, they just throw it on the ground, and let others do the work. Now I am sure that most of the people who litter in China are neither a baby nor a spoiled brat. So why act like one?

One day, maybe when conditions are right, all local governments will be willing to set up a system where littering is outlawed, and punishable by a HUGE fine, such as at least 500 yuan (US$61.93). Regardless, Chinese people don’t have to wait for their local governments to crack down on littering. Everyone should have a sense of national duty to present a tidy and clean public image of China to the world.

You should consider public grounds as valuable as you would Tian’anmen Square (hopefully you don’t litter in the square, which is a famous symbol of China) and treat public property as you would your own home. Don’t be a litterbug.

Write to Raymond McFarland at:mcstephen23@hotmail.com