Days of the throwaway society are over

There is a lovely seat in Wanstead Park, opposite the grotto, overlooking the Ornamental lake.

It is a place where people regularly sit to relax, amid the forest looking out over the lake. 

Couples chatting, individuals reading and taking in the fantastic view.

A lovely place, which makes it all the more difficult to understand why people leave their old plastic bottles, empty packets and other litter strewn around when they leave.

Coming upon this delightful spot, one day with people enjoying the autumn sun, then the next only to see the aftermath - a mini litter dump - is difficult to comprehend.

How can people on the one hand commune with nature but then so disrespect it by just dumping their waste all around them – the two attitudes seem incongruous.

What other animal on the earth, causes such wanton destruction to its own home?

Litter is a growing problem in this area.

In the park, volunteers are regularly out collecting the rubbish that people just leave behind.

The recent fire on Wanstead Flats uncovered lots of non-inflammable rubbish, nestled amongst the bushes and trees.

In Wanstead, people are understandably concerned when they see litter lying around in the parks and streets.

Redbridge Council has redoubled efforts to counter the litter explosion. The measures taken vary from increased collections from standing bins to provision of more bags and volunteer litter picks. The council is also cracking down on fly tipping, with heavy fines imposed on those caught in the act.

However, these are all actions to address the effects, not the causes, of the our wasteful society.

Society today has been built on a throwaway culture. Use it, chuck it, buy something new.

The recent revelations about the damage that plastic is doing to the environment and the way in which we continue to waste the planet’s resources should be cause for a rethink on this throwaway culture.

There needs to be more strident moves toward recycling and reusing the resources of everyday life. Also, just don’t create the waste in the first place.

Moves to keep and preserve different items used in daily life, not just throw them away after first use.

As we know the resources of the planet are finite, so human kind cannot just keep throwing stuff away, turning the whole environment in which we live into one big rubbish heap.

So think twice before you throw things away, whether they be plastic bottles in the park or household goods that could find another home with other people. We need to think about the community we want to live in – the days of the throwaway society are forever over.

published - Wanstead & Woodford Guardian  – "Let’s bring this throwaway society to an end" – paper – 18/10/2018

"The way we treat our parks shows we destroy the things we love" – published online – 20/10/2018