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Sunday, August 16, 2009

cl cl cl clean up!

It was one of our warmest winter days today...28 degrees  and super sunny in Sydney.
I cleaned my house and walked down to the beach for a quick dip.
Balmoral was crowded with lots of people. I met up with Taka who was on his way back from a surf at Manly.

We walked along to the other end of the beach. It was the afternoon and people were starting to leave... and so Taka and I started picking up things people had left behind.
Straws, bottles, cigarette butts, chip packets, lollipop sticks, fish and chip boxes, beer bottles...luckily someone had left a plastic bag on the beach, so we were able to collect these things into the bag.

Bowmoral is meant to be one of the cleaner city beaches. Plus it has a very supportive council, that has recently installed recycling bins along the beach.
What I am struggling to understand is why "littering" is still an issue...especially at the beach? 
I am not a writer but this is a little something I came up with...

'Some today, came out to play, to enjoy the warm and sunshine. At the end of the day, they gave thanks for the day and scattered things they no longer fancied.

Magically they think, these things disappear. 
The beach...It cleans itself?! 
Ready for the next sunny day, when they decide it's time again to go out and play.'

No wonder we have a garbage island appearing in the middle of the sea.
Have a look at this! (This was an extract from the New York Times, Oct 2001):


4 comments:

  1. Hey there. Good ON YOU. I find it very hard to step over rubbish - it can get a bit tiresome. So pleased there are others out there happily picking up other people's rubbish. Why, oh why, do people do it. Honestly, they really must believe it will all wash out to sea - like that's better.

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  2. unbelievable. Im with you and katie on this. absolutely detest littering and don't understand WHY?! me thinks alfred needs a KeepCup too ; )

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  3. I think part of the problem is that people have lost their 'connection' to the land. The majority of people now live in cities (Aus particularly) where it is an urban context and does not provide them with any sense of relationship to their surroundings - other than what they 'receive' from their surroundings - public transport, a road to drive on, a building to work in etc. They never have to give anything back. They pay their rates and the council drives the garbage truck.

    When people live in the bush or camp/hike/paddle etc. I believe they realise how damaging humans can be (when you are drinking creek water you watch what you put into it, when you need firewood you preserve it. And then they see how much they depend on it. They they learn to love it. To repsect it. To protect it.

    Thats what i experienced.. i hope others do too.

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  4. Thanks for the lovely comments!
    I suppose we have to keep on doing what we're doing...and hopefully others will follow??? ... spread the good news and share the love!

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