Link to Article: https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Richmond-to-Crack-Down-on-Illegal-Dumping-Operations-478232923.html
Summary: The city of Richmond has found over a dozen illegal dumping sites that have become a major problem in the neighborhoods, and the environment as well. In addition, the garbage can end up in waterways and in the Bay as a result of runoff. The county task force believes that most of the garbage that the dump sites get, ends up on the streets of Richmond. It's has also become a problem for the local businesses because the sight of garbage right in front of the stores is not a pleasant sight.
Analysis: I do believe that illegal dumping has become a problem, not only in Richmond, but in other cities as well. Our school does have a problem with the amount of trash that just gets left on the ground. Even though the extent of our garbage problem on campus might not be as bad as the one in Richmond, I still believe we should take little steps to make sure we keep our campus and the environment clean.
Questions:
1. What are some ways we can help reduce garbage/waste being dumped onto the streets in our city?
2. What do you think is the main cause of the illegal dumping problem is? why?
15 comments:
I think one of the causes of illegal dumping is greater overall waste production and the lack of resources, especially money, to afford disposal fees or other such services. As a result, one of the solutions the city can try to implement is making disposal services cheaper and more affordable to its residents. Also, since it seems that there are specific sites that are consistently littered, untended and thus, become more attractive as dumping grounds, the city might choose to hire volunteers or employees to overlook and maintain these sites, as well as ensure that consequences of dumping are strictly enforced.
I think that the reason that one of the best ways to slow and stop the dumping in Richmond is to provide adequate and economical options for people to get rid of their waste without having to pay a ton of money or spend a ton of time. The reason that dumping has become so prominent in certain areas is that it starts with a lack of availability to get rid of waste, then it becomes there is this snowball effect of people that begin to dump and people start seeing the dumping and start doing themselves and soon enough here are thousands of people dumping in a city or a county. The best way to stop the dumping is to create a system or service that is more convenient to use than just dumping. There must also be a higher penalty for dumping to deter people from doing it even if they have an opportunity to use a service.
I agree with Giorgio in that, the reason these people are dumping their trash is because it is the best for their self interest. Most environmental problems boil down to people or companies not wanting to sacrifice to save the environment because it is in their best self interest to destroy it. People will more often than not take the route where they profit the most from it, so whether that be making millions of burning fossil fuels, or not having to walk to the trash can. People's laziness and desire for profit will win most of the time. The solution seems impossible: make a economic advantage to environmental protection.
I'd say someways we can try to reduce waste outpouring or the littering of garbage is by increasing the number of cans on streets that differentiate between compost, trash, and recyclable materials. We could try again to increase the prevalence of just compost bins in general which tend to be less used. We could also again focus on the reuse of materials, whether donating them to organizations that could refurbish materials into artwork or other objects. I think the main cause of illegal dumping is just the exponential rise in trash in general, of which there is simply no where to put it (no more space).
I strongly agree with Giorgios's idea that we must provide adequate and affordable waste removal to our citizens. While I was getting rid of some old furniture I learned from my Dad that the city of San Mateo only provides what they refer to as "big pick ups" twice a year. During these times, larger items that won't fit inside your curbside garbage can can be removed. Besides these times, I've always had to pay to use any junkyard where I needed to get rid of some junk. I don't think that litter and illegal dumpsites are exactly the same problem, but in general I think that public waste bins are few and far between. When I'm walking around with a piece of garbageI notice very few trash cans. Most are owned by businesses that prefer you not use theirs unless its garbage you accumulated from them.
There are various ways we can help reduce garbage/waste being dumped onto the streets in our city. One of them is clearly just picking up after our own trash. A lot of people are ill informed about what classifies as trash, recycle, and compost so I agree with Hannah that increasing number of cans that reveal this difference would be sufficient and adequate use of our resources. I also side with Giorgio's references to give economical options for people to rid of their waste without time issues or money issues. If disposable services such as trash bags, dumpsters are easily accessible, it will help lessen the amount of littering for sure. I think the main cause of the illegal dumping problem is people being selfish and not looking after the environment, but also the amount of trash each day is hard to deal with.
I think there is a couple of ideas to be explored to deal with this garbage issue. The first thing that comes to my mind is to simply put more garbage dumpster and recycling dumpsters on the street. This would help people who are either too lazy to go to a facility to throw out there stuff or for the people who don't know that they should go to a facility. Another solution is to just educate people and advertise what to do with unwanted items and let them know about the potential harm to the enviornment that could happen by illegally dumping out trash by sending out messages via T.V. or email.
I think making waste disposal more available would help reduce dumping in city streets. It can be sometimes hard to find a garbage can, let alone a recycling bin, and some people might just be giving up and throwing their trash into the street if they cannot find proper disposal containers easily enough. Also, an education about the repercussions of littering might help as well. In my own limited experience, I've seen that people who do not seem to care about the environment simply lack the understanding to realize completely the consequences of their actions.
I think something that all of us can do to reduce the waste we leave behind is to put our own trash in the trash can. Theoretically, if everyone does it, there shouldn't be a single piece of trash on the floor. Another thing that could help reduce waste is to stop using plastic bags and water bottles. It is easy enough to carry around a reusable bag for shopping or carrying around a reusable water bottle. Creating needless trash hurts our environment.
I think the main cause of the dumping is both human laziness and probably accessibility of trash cans. If there were trash cans on at least every half block, people will be more inclined to throw their trash in their. Many people are too lazy to or won't go out of their way to throw a piece of garbage away. If it is made more convenient, people will do it more. I would like to think most people don't enjoy or intentionally throw trash on the floor even given the opportunity to do so in a trash can, so hopefully increased trash cans would result in decreased litter.
I think visibility is the easiest solution. If the city puts out more trash cans and dumpsters, then people will most likely use those to dispose waste instead of leaving it in the street. I think by having more access to free waste disposal, for trash, recycling, and compost, then people would have no other choice then to properly dispose of waste. The city could also educate the public about the dangers of leaving waste in the dump sites and advertise the different places they can dispose the waste.
I think the easiest solution to a problem like this would be to simply promote throwing stuff away by adding more trash cans and recycle bins. Furthermore, I think children need to be educated about the importance of disposal and recycling in order to better understand why its necessary to a clean world. I think one of the big reasons for garbage everywhere has to do with laziness and the expensive price of using a garbage company.
I agree that the reason there is such a huge waste issue is that people are too lazy to throw away their trash. I feel like people aren't educated enough in knowing how harmful littering is. But I understand that when there are no trash cans in the vicinity, it is the worst feeling ever having to hold onto your trash. However, one could just put it in their pocket or backpack until they see a trash can. Like others said, I think the best way to reduce the amount of garbage on the streets is to provide more trash cans on the streets and in neighborhoods. You even see people throw away bags with dog poop in them on the street because the owner is too lazy to hold onto it. At Aragon there are so many trash cans, so it's super convenient to just walk over to the closest one and throw your trash away. It's not only a problem for local businesses, but also the environment.
I agree with Alex. There is as simple answer to this problem. People need to be environmentally aware and pick up after themselves. Then they must teach their methods to other people, and promote it so others will follow.
Oh man. So many times have I ridden the Amtrak San Joaquin and Amtrak Capitol Corridor trains north of the city of Richmond, when I have seen heaps of garbage thrown into abandoned backyards. It's a rusty, disappointing sight to see, and it forced me to wonder how much of a ghetto town Richmond really is. I believe a cause is pluralistic ignorance. Pluralistic ignorance is a social psychological phenomenon where people are more likely to "do something bad", or something that is negative within their own judgement, simply because these people see other people doing the same bad thing, and think that if these others are fine with it, then so should I. The classic example of this is college age-drinking, but I believe this problem is perfectly applicable to the problem of illegal dumping as well. When Richmond residents assume that other Richmond residents around them are completely comfortable with leaving their garbage anywhere they like, they adopt the same mindset and follow other's behavior in dumping garbage randomly. What the city of Richmond ought to do, first and foremost, is to send out task-force crews responsible for cleaning these dumps and cleaning the city. I believe that the average person is much less likely to start new garbage dumps if there is not already one in existence that they can simply add on to. An increase in the number of public trash cans that are made available for use would certainly be useful as well, if this is a concern that currently exacerbates the problem.
We could increase the fines and penalties for dumping, and place surveillance cameras around schools and cities to look for dumpers. This, however, seems unsettlingly akin to the world of "1984", so perhaps a better plan would be to educate schools and communities with speakers that illustrate the environmental impacts of dumping. I think people are much more likely to respond better to speakers who show them the results of their actions first-hand rather than impersonal posters or videos.
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