Where’s the trash?

Pity the nation that can be found playing inside the dustbin while trash is found lying around it! Educating our people about the use of dustbins is a task unto itself. Recently the CBC installed fish shaped, meshed dustbins at Seaview in Pakistan, taking inspiration from an idea that was originally implemented in Mangaluru, India last year where they called it ‘Yoshi the fish’. It was later replicated in Bali where they named the fish ‘Goby’, thus continuing with the idea for the collection of plastic trash. Strangely enough, the local organisation not only took inspiration, it also copied the exact shape and name of the fish, envisioning the collection of trash in the exact same way. They could have thought of a localised version in terms of its name or local species, or even thought about the practicality of trash collection at a spot that is littered with about 600 kilograms of trash per kilometre which does not just include plastic!

Nonetheless, it can be declared as a continuation of an idea that should perhaps be implemented for a good cause. Emptying these dustbins will be a hassle once they fill up, if they do, that is. And even if these bins get filled with trash, one can imagine Goby housing a concoction of unhygienic paraphernalia. The fish will literally be rotting away. Secondly, one shouldn’t be surprised at the predictability of our people who devise entertainment at everything they can find. Hence, there were not just children but adults as well, swinging inside the fish shaped trashcans or taking selfies with it. Building civic sense starts at the grassroots level and such behaviour should be discouraged by parents and the society at large. Our future generations ought to show some respect to public property and this is more of a responsibility for families rather than schools.

Heba Moeen

Karachi