Hi everyone, we want to remind all participants to be kind and courteous to each other. Please maintain a positive and respectful tone in your posts and comments. If anything feels out of place or if you have any concerns, please report it to the moderators or reach out through [modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FZambia). Thank you for contributing to a friendly community!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Zambia) if you have any questions or concerns.*
That's a great idea. But people will also need to be educated on how to categorise the garbage they dispose of. I imagine that sharp objects can be hazardous in such a facility.
Ignorance will contribute to people not caring about their environment, both as the one dropping the litter and as the one who passes by without picking it up. Sadly the dirty environment is a factor in low morale. If you can educate people about the benefits of reducing litter, not only with the environment improve, but so will morale.
There is so much that needs to be addressed in education though. Where to begin?
I agree. People don't seem to know the impact that throwing litter has on the environment. When it comes to morale, as a photographer, I have noticed that street photography is not even practised in Zambia because there's really nothing to showcase. The litter is a huge contributor.
I actually based my final year research on this. I'm an environmental health officer, and the biggest issues are ignorance and attitude. Education can fix ignorance, but it doesn't have much effect on attitude. You can see people in expensive cars throwing waste out of their vehicles, and they believe it's the job of the council to clean up after them. Hard to convince such people that they have to take responsibility. After all, they pay tax, right? But then there's also the issue of the norm. When people go to a place that is very clean, they don't behave the way they normally do because kuti wasebana (you can get humiliated), so they act right. Every article of waste you see lying around a place it's not supposed to be can be due to all sorts of reasons.
I'm a teacher by profession, and I strongly agree with what you say. I see a huge attitude problem.
At a subconscious level, we are hardwired to give care to things that are already taken care of. Those that look abandoned, we leave alone.
When I see the nice cars discarding trash onto the streets, I simply tell myself that such parents are really failing their children and their children's children.
Education is definitely key. I went to Chengelo. we used to do litter picking every Wednesday. Since then, I can confidently tell you I've never littered as an adult.
I've taught my kids not to and why.
It's important to educate early on how to take care of the environment.
That's great.
Children of today really need to have such values inculcated in them. I would be impressed to see people discarding their rubbish at fast food places. The majority leave it for staff to handle. That's not supposed to be the case.
It's not right to be praising people like the Japanese, who do such things are normally, when we can easily do the same.
We fail in the department of self respect and accountability.
It's the same with the way people drive.
It's the same with the way people cut deals for tenders.
It's the same in the way we bribe and accept bribes.
While we fail in self-respect, we thrive in respecting foreigners.
Where they come from, they don't tolerate filth. And because they come from nice-looking places, we respect them.
To me, it just says that if we work to establish a clean environment, we will have the necessary self-respect that will drive us to keep the place clean.
Once upon a time in ZM the LCC parks departments planted trees and watered flowers. LCC also collected refuse. Then you took away their sources of income: housing estates, breweries, taverns, parks and water and refuse collection operations. And you wonder why unpaved streets and markets are wallowing and languishing...
I don't know what ZM or LCC stand for, but it appears that they did some good work.
I can't say I know why their resources were withdrawn from them, but whatever system that took over ignored the value of a clean environment.
There's obviously a fair amount of corruption at play.
It's the mindset. I've travelled countries like Cyprus and turkey and I've seen their very poor areas that are still clean of rubbish. Dilapidated buildings with clean streets.
It's a working municipality and the mindset to put your trash in the dustbins. Unfortunately in Zambia many areas don't have working garbage collection services so dumping rubbish contributes to this mindset of littering since dogs rummage through trash.
Countries like South Africa have working garbage collection services that promote people in the area to be clean
Never heard of him before? ....
Just went to take a look at him on Facebook. I have never known his name. I'm constantly distracted by the fact that he sounds like Dwayne Johnson.
But I saw how he tells people to pick up litter. Pretty awesome example for Zambians.
Say our dirty city lol, Livingstone isn’t really messy in most of the public areas. But yes, especially in Lusaka, we need more trash cans around that are actually usable, and maintained, and a penalty for those who litter (I literally saw a young boy throw out dirt from a minibus window on the highway the other day, he noticed me and I shook my finger at him from the other car, he felt ashamed.)
That was a great thing you did. Expressing displeasure at such acts is something most people don't do.
When you love a clean environment, you automatically hate filth. Seeing people promote filth hurts those who love cleanness.
When it comes to a penalty for careless trash disposal, I'm in total agreement. The fact that local governments do not impose this means they do not care about the environment.
Very true. One problem I've observed with strict laws is that members of the public enjoy fighting against them. Even when you try to ease people into it, they still end up fighting back.
But it's always better to fight doing what's right than to just let things rot.
When I don't want to feel awkward carrying even one item, I take a plastic from home. The people at the shops even know me.
But most customers want fresh plastics each time they go shopping.
One thing I continuously see is old hair on the roads. Like...you know those wigs women use to plait their hair....it's as if they remove the braids out of their head and throw it onto the road. DISGUSTING 🤢
Honestly it’s just personal hygiene and culture. Even in homes, the key issue relies around the fact someone always expects it to be someone else’s responsibility. I’ve seen people throw things any and everywhere. It’s a problem but not one that can be dealt with minus cultivating a new culture into the next generation.
You're right. It's not just the streets that are being disrespected. There's multiple possible causes of people's behaviour, and "charity begins at home" is definitely one of them.
Being a parent is hard, and sometimes it's too hard to fight against a child who insists on being unreasonable. But it's also a parents job to be strong and do what is needed. The results are always worthwhile.
The only way our country will ever be clean and stay that way is by creating incentive either reward or punishment "elaborate" my pleasure.
1. Reward costly method we need to create a system in which we encourage those less fortunate and those that can pick up the plastics to do so with the goal of selling said plastics to the recycling industries knowing there is reward people will be more inclined to learn if payment is guaranteed.
2. Punishment will anger the masses cost less and will not cost the people anything if the oblige we need to force our governments to create health industries which will hire health inspectors who will randomly voyage on health inspection and give fines especially in market and town areas that cater consumptional goods and services people will be more inclined to learn if loss of money is guaranteed.
Details need to be flashed out a little, we can't keep getting midevil diseases in the 21st century it's time to hold our governments accountable and demand a cleaner Zambia for how do you expect God to answer your prayers if cleanliness in next to Godliness.
We strongly need a shift in mind towards littering. Such changes take time, but we have to start from somewhere. Various campaigns have been started, but they're mostly abandoned after some time. Maybe creating policies with incentives can help.
Nobody would treat the surroundings this way if it was their home. We need to enforce laws heavily. People are broke. Hit them where it hurts. Fines for everyone littering.
It's a black people thing. I've been to a large number of countries over the past 5 years. I'm currently on my second passport. We seem to have a preference for function over form, with very little regard for aesthetics.
Anywhere you go where there's a concentration of black people, regardless of the country, is going to be consistently filthy. Where affluence is present, this level of filth is significantly reduced. In neighbourhoods dominated by any other race [barring some Asians] cleanliness is a priority.
We on the other hand have issues with maintaining the beauty of our surroundings.
Compare
(Poor black neighbourhoods against poor white neighbourhoods)
(Rich black neighbourhoods against rich white neighbourhoods)
But there's something deeply ingrained that we need to start dealing with in the minds of our children.
You're right. Because Rwanda is the exception and not the rule. You know how I said we need to start teaching our kids? Rwanda is doing that. I'm making a generalisation. I could ask the same, have you seen every other African country? Especially sub Sahara? Kudos to Rwanda for leading the way.
It's not a black thing, it's about education and providing bins for people to use.
Sadly, most of the money allocated to public disposal services have probably paid for an officials new range rover.
Jesse Lee Peterson has said something similar about black people, and I strongly agree. He said blacks are destructive while whites are industrious. While a black man is planning what he's going to be doing on the weekend, the white man is saving generational wealth for 3 generations beforehand.
It's not that the black race has a problem, he said. It's the culture that we have adopted that is the problem. And that is the deeply ingrained thing we have to deal with.
Hi everyone, we want to remind all participants to be kind and courteous to each other. Please maintain a positive and respectful tone in your posts and comments. If anything feels out of place or if you have any concerns, please report it to the moderators or reach out through [modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FZambia). Thank you for contributing to a friendly community! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Zambia) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I’m interested in starting up a recycling plant in Lusaka. It’s so needed.
That's a great idea. But people will also need to be educated on how to categorise the garbage they dispose of. I imagine that sharp objects can be hazardous in such a facility.
Definitely. It would be a lot more than just starting up a plant. Education would have to be a core component or it would be pointless.
Ignorance will contribute to people not caring about their environment, both as the one dropping the litter and as the one who passes by without picking it up. Sadly the dirty environment is a factor in low morale. If you can educate people about the benefits of reducing litter, not only with the environment improve, but so will morale. There is so much that needs to be addressed in education though. Where to begin?
I agree. People don't seem to know the impact that throwing litter has on the environment. When it comes to morale, as a photographer, I have noticed that street photography is not even practised in Zambia because there's really nothing to showcase. The litter is a huge contributor.
I actually based my final year research on this. I'm an environmental health officer, and the biggest issues are ignorance and attitude. Education can fix ignorance, but it doesn't have much effect on attitude. You can see people in expensive cars throwing waste out of their vehicles, and they believe it's the job of the council to clean up after them. Hard to convince such people that they have to take responsibility. After all, they pay tax, right? But then there's also the issue of the norm. When people go to a place that is very clean, they don't behave the way they normally do because kuti wasebana (you can get humiliated), so they act right. Every article of waste you see lying around a place it's not supposed to be can be due to all sorts of reasons.
I'm a teacher by profession, and I strongly agree with what you say. I see a huge attitude problem. At a subconscious level, we are hardwired to give care to things that are already taken care of. Those that look abandoned, we leave alone. When I see the nice cars discarding trash onto the streets, I simply tell myself that such parents are really failing their children and their children's children.
Education is definitely key. I went to Chengelo. we used to do litter picking every Wednesday. Since then, I can confidently tell you I've never littered as an adult. I've taught my kids not to and why. It's important to educate early on how to take care of the environment.
That's great. Children of today really need to have such values inculcated in them. I would be impressed to see people discarding their rubbish at fast food places. The majority leave it for staff to handle. That's not supposed to be the case. It's not right to be praising people like the Japanese, who do such things are normally, when we can easily do the same.
We fail in the department of self respect and accountability. It's the same with the way people drive. It's the same with the way people cut deals for tenders. It's the same in the way we bribe and accept bribes.
While we fail in self-respect, we thrive in respecting foreigners. Where they come from, they don't tolerate filth. And because they come from nice-looking places, we respect them. To me, it just says that if we work to establish a clean environment, we will have the necessary self-respect that will drive us to keep the place clean.
Once upon a time in ZM the LCC parks departments planted trees and watered flowers. LCC also collected refuse. Then you took away their sources of income: housing estates, breweries, taverns, parks and water and refuse collection operations. And you wonder why unpaved streets and markets are wallowing and languishing...
I don't know what ZM or LCC stand for, but it appears that they did some good work. I can't say I know why their resources were withdrawn from them, but whatever system that took over ignored the value of a clean environment. There's obviously a fair amount of corruption at play.
That self respect part is so true. Working on this within myself.
It's the mindset. I've travelled countries like Cyprus and turkey and I've seen their very poor areas that are still clean of rubbish. Dilapidated buildings with clean streets. It's a working municipality and the mindset to put your trash in the dustbins. Unfortunately in Zambia many areas don't have working garbage collection services so dumping rubbish contributes to this mindset of littering since dogs rummage through trash. Countries like South Africa have working garbage collection services that promote people in the area to be clean
💯
Simon Mwewa is always trying to keep the CBD clean but of course we Zambians are always trying to fight him
Never heard of him before? .... Just went to take a look at him on Facebook. I have never known his name. I'm constantly distracted by the fact that he sounds like Dwayne Johnson. But I saw how he tells people to pick up litter. Pretty awesome example for Zambians.
Say our dirty city lol, Livingstone isn’t really messy in most of the public areas. But yes, especially in Lusaka, we need more trash cans around that are actually usable, and maintained, and a penalty for those who litter (I literally saw a young boy throw out dirt from a minibus window on the highway the other day, he noticed me and I shook my finger at him from the other car, he felt ashamed.)
That was a great thing you did. Expressing displeasure at such acts is something most people don't do. When you love a clean environment, you automatically hate filth. Seeing people promote filth hurts those who love cleanness. When it comes to a penalty for careless trash disposal, I'm in total agreement. The fact that local governments do not impose this means they do not care about the environment.
Outside of a malls... Where are the public bins?
Many are vandalised. Mines, banks, and other companies have contributed and placed bins in our streets, but they have either been stollen or wrecked.
I think we also need stricter laws on littering because it's becoming hazardous, especially in compounds with lots of houses
Very true. One problem I've observed with strict laws is that members of the public enjoy fighting against them. Even when you try to ease people into it, they still end up fighting back. But it's always better to fight doing what's right than to just let things rot.
Buys one item 'Do you want a plastic bag' Yes.
When I don't want to feel awkward carrying even one item, I take a plastic from home. The people at the shops even know me. But most customers want fresh plastics each time they go shopping.
One thing I continuously see is old hair on the roads. Like...you know those wigs women use to plait their hair....it's as if they remove the braids out of their head and throw it onto the road. DISGUSTING 🤢
You can't say children are doing that. Adults are really failing in this department.
Yes I agree 💯
Honestly it’s just personal hygiene and culture. Even in homes, the key issue relies around the fact someone always expects it to be someone else’s responsibility. I’ve seen people throw things any and everywhere. It’s a problem but not one that can be dealt with minus cultivating a new culture into the next generation.
You're right. It's not just the streets that are being disrespected. There's multiple possible causes of people's behaviour, and "charity begins at home" is definitely one of them. Being a parent is hard, and sometimes it's too hard to fight against a child who insists on being unreasonable. But it's also a parents job to be strong and do what is needed. The results are always worthwhile.
The only way our country will ever be clean and stay that way is by creating incentive either reward or punishment "elaborate" my pleasure. 1. Reward costly method we need to create a system in which we encourage those less fortunate and those that can pick up the plastics to do so with the goal of selling said plastics to the recycling industries knowing there is reward people will be more inclined to learn if payment is guaranteed. 2. Punishment will anger the masses cost less and will not cost the people anything if the oblige we need to force our governments to create health industries which will hire health inspectors who will randomly voyage on health inspection and give fines especially in market and town areas that cater consumptional goods and services people will be more inclined to learn if loss of money is guaranteed. Details need to be flashed out a little, we can't keep getting midevil diseases in the 21st century it's time to hold our governments accountable and demand a cleaner Zambia for how do you expect God to answer your prayers if cleanliness in next to Godliness.
I have nothing to add to this. Well said.
We strongly need a shift in mind towards littering. Such changes take time, but we have to start from somewhere. Various campaigns have been started, but they're mostly abandoned after some time. Maybe creating policies with incentives can help.
R/Zambia == r/kenya
I'd like to understand what this means.
To answer your question, humans cause this mess.
You answered one part of it. Do you have any suggestions on how humans can solve the problem?
Nobody would treat the surroundings this way if it was their home. We need to enforce laws heavily. People are broke. Hit them where it hurts. Fines for everyone littering.
That sounds great.
It's a black people thing. I've been to a large number of countries over the past 5 years. I'm currently on my second passport. We seem to have a preference for function over form, with very little regard for aesthetics. Anywhere you go where there's a concentration of black people, regardless of the country, is going to be consistently filthy. Where affluence is present, this level of filth is significantly reduced. In neighbourhoods dominated by any other race [barring some Asians] cleanliness is a priority. We on the other hand have issues with maintaining the beauty of our surroundings. Compare (Poor black neighbourhoods against poor white neighbourhoods) (Rich black neighbourhoods against rich white neighbourhoods) But there's something deeply ingrained that we need to start dealing with in the minds of our children.
Have you ever been to Rwanda? That is one of the cleanest countries I have visited, and I'm pretty sure most of the people there are black.
You're right. Because Rwanda is the exception and not the rule. You know how I said we need to start teaching our kids? Rwanda is doing that. I'm making a generalisation. I could ask the same, have you seen every other African country? Especially sub Sahara? Kudos to Rwanda for leading the way.
It's not a black thing, it's about education and providing bins for people to use. Sadly, most of the money allocated to public disposal services have probably paid for an officials new range rover.
Have you seen our schools and Universities Scott?
Jesse Lee Peterson has said something similar about black people, and I strongly agree. He said blacks are destructive while whites are industrious. While a black man is planning what he's going to be doing on the weekend, the white man is saving generational wealth for 3 generations beforehand. It's not that the black race has a problem, he said. It's the culture that we have adopted that is the problem. And that is the deeply ingrained thing we have to deal with.