How can we help beat the culture of littering? 

After a two-decade-long stint in the West, I returned to my hometown in Bangladesh back in February 2020. Despite my long absence, it did not take much time to notice the transformation of this nation as I travelled. Both urban and rural landscapes had changed. Technology and many urban amenities had permeated all spheres of life – from sprawling urban centres to remote rural villages.

And as an amateur photographer, I often found myself using my mobile phone to capture shots whenever I came across a beautiful scene worth remembering. Unfortunately, I have hardly ever been able to capture an outdoor photo that was pristine and devoid of some unwanted garbage such as discarded polythene bags, packets of chips, water bottles and all manners of waste.

Littering is a persistent problem in Bangladesh, one that all too often gets ignored by individuals and the society at large. Any place with a gathering of people, with some exception to the space inside their homes, ends up being littered with food packages, plastic bags, bottles, cigarette butts, Styrofoam containers, or other waste. Most of our population, irrespective of living in urban or rural areas, habitually dispose of their rubbish in inappropriate places, such as footpaths, vacant plots and most alarmingly in water bodies and agricultural land. To address this issue, the government in 2002 banned polythene and plastic bags, making Bangladesh the first country in the world to impose such a restriction. Sadly, more than two decades later, this harmful waste continues to persist due to our collective apathy.

According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), the total amount of waste created in Bangladesh was around 25.78 million tonnes in 2020. Of this, 70 percent was organic, seven percent was plastic, and the remaining 23 percent was paper, metal, and glass. However, only 55 percent of the waste is collected through proper channels. The remaining waste is often left untreated and ends up in open dumpsites, rivers, and canals. About 54 percent of the wastewater discharged into the rivers contains untreated solid waste. Other than that, one popular way of garbage disposal is through burning waste, which releases toxic gases such as dioxins and furans. This contributes to air pollution and adversely impacts the natural environment as well as human health. Every year, thousands of people suffer from illnesses caused by exposure to polluted water and air. This is directly connected to our littering behaviour. There is an urgent need for appropriate actions to address the ever-increasing waste issue in Bangladesh. The country is at a crossroads where we need to be able to continue to prosper while keeping the land, water, and air habitable.

Generally, an area that already has garbage is likely to attract more garbage, whereas people would be hesitant to litter in an already neat and tidy place. That means the surroundings as well as individual practices, social norms, and culture play a role in this behaviour. 

There are proven cases that littering could be discouraged through creating a collective responsibility. We may recall how Japanese fans acted after a game in 2018 FIFA World Cup, carrying plastic bags and collecting garbage around their aisles inside the stadium. While Japan comes from the wealthy part of the global economic spectrum, there are place like Rwanda's capital Kigali from the other end of the spectrum which has established itself as one of the world's cleanest cities. Every individual in the city routinely participates to clean up the city. Establishing and promoting a social norm not only helps in keeping the town clean, but also in bringing the community together. Meanwhile, strict laws and strong enforcement can also help create a clean city like Singapore. Other than strict penalties, the city state has also adopted latest technologies to detect and bring offenders to book.

There may not be a one-size-fits-all solution, but social engineering could be explored to address the behaviour associated with littering in Bangladesh. Social engineering is understood as a process of influencing people's behaviour, attitudes, and beliefs using various approaches such as using psychological triggers, campaigning and effective communication. The following are some social engineering techniques that can be implemented to change littering behaviour in Bangladesh.

Creating awareness and educating people: Programmes should be initiated in schools, businesses and NGOs to raise awareness and educate the youth about the importance of waste management. Through documentaries, campaigns, and public service announcements, the government can promote a better understanding of the impact and significance of issues connected with waste.

Building a strong sense of community: Local government bodies and leaders can encourage people to form small groups that actively participate in community activities such as establishing clean surroundings. They can take the initiative to clean parks, roads, and community centers. These groups can work with the local authorities to enforce waste segregation and initiate better waste management techniques. The community can be encouraged to implement a doorstep collection system where households can segregate waste into different categories, and the collection can be done according to a schedule. 

Planned adoption of social norms: This can be done by using education curriculum, religious gatherings, or creating public campaigns that celebrate those who practise sustainable waste management activities. Instilling a sense of community and appropriate attitude towards waste from an early age, highlighting and promoting families that recycle can encourage others to adopt similar practices. Today, some social norms are being practised that limit smoking in specific spaces or social arenas.

Offering incentives to encourage reducing waste and recycling: The government can offer subsidies or tax breaks to businesses and households to adopt better waste management practices. Incentivising anti-littering behaviour could also be realised by creating income generating programs such as waste separation that sorts out recyclable materials. Today people can generate marginal income from reselling those recyclable materials. Such informal sectors could be promoted by introducing formal roles to workers to foster waste management at the community level.

Adoption of technology: As mentioned earlier, garbage attracts more garbage. Introducing technologies, such as smart waste bins equipped with sensors that detect and send notifications as the bin gets filled could help maintain clean neighbourhoods, especially in urban centres.

Government intervention: Beside driving changes through social or economic policy initiatives, government intervention in prioritising and enforcing robust waste management policies is critical. A comprehensive waste management strategy, including well-planned collection, transportation, recycling facilities and disposal sites must be implemented throughout the country. Imposing fines or penalties for littering or not following waste segregation practices should also be on the cards. 

Addressing countrywide littering is a challenging and critical issue that requires immediate and substantial actions. Social engineering could be used as an effective tool to change the behaviour towards waste disposal in Bangladesh. The government, businesses, and society as a whole, must work together to reduce the impact of waste on public health and protect our ecosystem before it is too late.

Dr Sabbir Ahmad is a researcher, mentor and a leader in project delivery and engineering. He can be reached at sabbir@ieee.org