JOIN USHeaps of garbage lying everywhere
One can find heaps of garbage on main roads, in open drains, on empty plots and on roadsides.
According to statistics, the door-to-door garbage collection in Bangalore is just 40 per cent, while Mysore and Belgaum rank high at 73 per cent and 83 per cent respectively. Poor garbage clearance and lack of an effective system aggravate the spread of diseases and deteriorate general health conditions. But no one seems to be doing anything about it. Metrolife spoke to a cross-section of Bangaloreans who think a lot needs to be done to improve garbage collection in the City
Gopalkrishna M V
Businessman
“People lack basic civic sense. I am sure people wouldn’t dare to throw garbage around in any other country. But here they don’t seem to care about the rules and do everything possible to dirty the City. A strong legislation must be passed to get people to follow the rules. People must do their bit of keeping the City clean by avoiding plastic covers and other non-degradable items.”
Sandhya
Bank employee
“We don’t bother about the surroundings. The garbage accumulation in places like Mysore and Belgaum is a lot less compared to Bangalore and those places are cleaner. People must make some effort to dispose garbage effectively and not throw it around.”
Meera
Advocate
“The whole system seems to be jinxed. The vans that collect the garbage don’t turn up on most days and we’re forced to throw it on the road because there are no dustbins. Burning waste causes pollution. This is the state of affairs in our City. Dumping garbage affects the surrounding and the well-being of the City. The government must take proper measures to ensure the effective disposal of garbage.”
C N S Adishesha
Bank employee
“To begin with, we should use cloth bags instead of plastic bags whenever we go shopping. We must use a product in such a way that it lasts longer and doesn’t get wasted. Even if we don’t want to use it any longer and pass it on to someone, it must still work just as well. This will contribute to the reduction of garbage and eventually help maintain a cleaner, greener environment. I find this a more practical way of dealing with the issue of garbage disposal.”
Prashanth Karadigudda
Student
“People must make an effort to segregate organic and inorganic waste. This would ease half the problem. The effort to separate garbage must start from the grassroot level. There’s no point blaming the government when we ourselves don’t do our bit to ensure the City is kept clean.
Carelessness of the people and negligence of the government has left the City in a bad state.”
Anjana Shivakumar
Communications graduate
“Despite paying our taxes, we’re left with nothing but poor infrastructure. The government here can replicate a system based on the model in other countries. They can device eco-friendly methods to deal with garbage disposal. I have seen school kids who are far more responsible when it comes to keeping the environment clean. The older people surely have a thing or two to learn from them. It’s we who litter the City and later complain about it being dirty. I think cleanliness begins with us first and then the government steps in.”