Stop and Pick Up the
Trash
By Barrington H.
Brennen, June 3, 2014
PDF Format
 My
wife and I swim six mornings a week, year round, winter or
summer, hot or cold, on a lovely beach in Nassau. We swim in
spite of the temperature or condition of the sea. It is
invigorating, refreshing, and it stimulates the immune
system. Unfortunately, the beach is not always free of
trash. We have made it our civic duty, as loyal citizens of
The Bahamas, to pick up the trash each morning before we
swim. We pick up condom wraps, fast food containers,
clothing, bath towels, swim suits, bras, panties, sanitary
pads, children’s toys, tissue paper, pizza boxes, shoes,
beer bottles, soda cans, soft drink containers, etc.
Sometimes we find dollar bills, cell phones, and wallets.
It is clear to me that during the nights the beach is used
as an excitement sandy strip for midnight pleasure seekers.
With
all that excitement why can’t these busy night goers and fun
seekers avoid leaving the trash on the ground? Is it that
what they are doing leave them so giddy headed and drunk
with stupidity that they have no care for their
surroundings? Why can’t they pick up their trash and place
it in the nearby receptacles or take the trash at home in
their own bags? It has been four years since my wife and I
have been picking up trash on this beach. When we first
started picking up trash four years ago, the amount of trash
we picked up each morning was equivalent to the size of one
to two thirty-three-gallon trash bags. Today, the amount is
about two small plastic grocery bags. Yes, we have seen
improvement, but there is still room for improvement. We
have noticed that many beach goers are placing their trash
in the right receptacles. However, far too many just come
to enjoy the beach but allow the trash to drop from their
hands to the ground like droplets of sweat and salt water.
What a shame!
ATM TRASH
CLEANER
Why
is it difficult for people to avoid leaving trash around?
Why is it difficult for people to pick up trash when they
see it, even if they did not put it there? Sometimes the
trash on the ground might blow from a far distance or
accidently fall from someone. I can also call myself a
bank trash-picker-upper. That is most times when I go to an
ATM machine at a bank, there is trash on the floor in front
of the machine. I really cannot understand how decent,
loyal citizens of our country can stand on a floor filled
with simple slips of paper, perhaps accumulated over hours,
and not pick them up and place them in the receptacle
provided. In fact if each one picked up his/her own slip of
paper, we would have no trash on the floor. So with my
intolerable attitude toward trash at the entrance of banks,
I first turn to the trash and pick it up while
sophisticated, well dress managers, secretaries, teachers,
doctors, pass by and do nothing. They would continue to the
line and just stand and
 watch me. I would pick up the
trash while dressed in my casual attire or in my most formal
suit. It does not matter. Why? Because it is my view
that if I am at this bank with trash on the floor it is a
refection of me. I feel so uncomfortable standing on a
bank line when papers are under my feet or at the entrance
of the bank or a store as I just walked through.
CULTIVATED
NASTINESS
There are messages I am getting from people who refuse to
pick up trash in their surroundings. The messages are: “I
am too good to bend down to pick up trash.” “That is not
my job. That is the job of the cleaners or lower class
people.” “I did not put that there so why should I pick it
up?”
It
is my view that people dressed in sophisticated clothing and
who live in middle to upper class communities but refuse to
pick up trash at entrances of banks or on floors as they
walk around in business, are just as bad as the people they
look down upon in poor communities who leave mounds of trash
in front of their properties. The only difference is the
size of the mound. They are both nasty. In other words
we have cultivated nastiness and uncultivated
nastiness. They are both nasty.
Several years ago, my family traveled to Toronto, Canada for
vacation. We were amazed to see the attitude of people
walking the streets (blacks and whites) when they saw a
piece of paper on the ground. We noticed that if someone
saw that the person walking in front accidently dropped a
chewing gum paper, paper bag, or anything, the one behind,
stopped, reached down and picked it up and placed it in the
nearest trash bin. Therefore, you would see no trash on
the ground in the city. It is clean. Everyone takes
responsibility for keeping the city clean. Why can’t we
have the same kind of mindset and behavior in our country?
LET’S BEGIN
TODAY
Dear
readers, join my wife and I as loyal citizens of this
country who are neither afraid nor embarrassed to pick up
trash and do not drop trash just anywhere. Here are a few
things to do from “WikiHow”. “
1. Stop littering yourself.
You have no entitlement to litter. The reason there is so
much trash around is because many other people thought the
same way. Just be on the lookout for trash bins, and be
willing to hold on to your trash for a little while. When on
the road, make sure items in the back of your truck are
secure and nothing can blow out. Keep your truck bed clean
and free of loose litter. If you own a business, keep your
parking lot  and the area around your dumpsters clean. Have
trash containers available for customers. Keep them emptied
so trash will not blow out of the containers. On windy days,
litter can travel a long way from the litter source.
2.
Spread the word to friends and relatives about why littering
is so bad. Don't hand out fliers because those could become
litter themselves! Create awareness by writing letters to
the editors of newspapers. Talk "Trash" and emphasize how
litter mars the beauty of the cities and countryside.
Encourage citizens to work together and clean up the
environment.
3. Start cleaning up. This can be done
solo, with friends or in an organized group. Once you get
started, you will not want to quit. Getting started is the
hardest part. Don't be embarrassed to do it alone. Believe
me, it will make you feel really good about yourself. Pick
up litter while getting your walking exercise. A lot of
people think picking up litter is disgusting and degrading.
Litter is what is disgusting and degrading. If everyone
would do a little to keep the environment clean, it would
make a world of difference. Bring a plastic bag with you on
trips, outings and walks.
4. If solo: You can pick up
litter on the way to work or school if you don't drive. You
may feel embarrassed if this is uncommon in your area. But
you will eventually inspire others. You could occasionally
take different routes for variety and to see if your actions
have taken root with others. Start a community project for
picking up trash.”
Before you swim this holiday weekend, pick up the trash you
meet on the beach. Then do not leave any trash on the
beach. Do not just stuff the trash in an overfilled bin and
leave thinking you have done your part. Take it with you
and dump it at home or in another bin. When we become
proud in picking up trash, we will soon become proud that we
do not have trash to pick up anymore.
Barrington H. Brennen is a marriage and family therapist and
board certified clinical psychotherapist, USA. Send your
questions or comments to barringtonbrennen@gmail.com or
write to P.O. Box CB-11045, Nassau, The Bahamas, or visit www.soencouragement.org or
call 242-327-1980 or 242-477-4002
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