I live in Singapore and travel few times in a year away from the island. I always wanted to see and experience landscapes and cityscapes that are unique or familiar. I always look out for nuances to compare and contrast the places and experiences I’ve encountered. For example, how fast people walk or if they clear their trays in public eating areas. There are many things that I observed and what strikes me most is how different each place handle their trash.
I was recently in Japan, although it’s not my first time, I’ve always admired how people make an effort to segregate their waste materials. In some places, sorting is not a priority since they have an advanced disposal system. While in other places, trash disposal is not at the highest priority. As people travel, I wonder how are the changes in their behavior and mindset in disposing litter or trash as they move from one place to the next.
Do we as humans have a universal instinct of getting rid of our junk? Perhaps in our own ways we can support our communities by purchasing repurposed waste materials that will stand the test of time and are responsibly made. Personally, I am just worried about the on-going trend on organizations designing products that will have a predicted life-span so we as consumers will buy from them again. Not only does it have a negative impact in our environment but also impact the mindset of consumption of our future generations.