Garbage Mismanagement

One of the biggest challenges in our daily life today is the mismanagement of garbage. Walk through any street, town, or city, and you will notice garbage scattered at public places, plastic bags flying in air, and drains blocked with waste. This not only looks unpleasant but also brings serious problems for our health, environment, and the balance of nature.

The truth is, our behaviour towards the environment is often irresponsible. Many people throw waste on roads, in rivers, or empty plots without thinking about the consequences. Some even burn plastic and other harmful materials, releasing poisonous gases into the air. These acts may seem small at an individual level, but when repeated by millions of people every day, the damage becomes huge. This behaviour shows that society needs not just awareness, but also moral improvement.

Nature is beautiful and pure until we pollute it. Mountains, rivers, trees, and fields are gifts that provide us with food, water, and clean air. Sadly, our garbage is destroying this beauty. Plastic bottles and polythene bags choke our rivers, piles of untreated waste spoil our soil, and open dumping spreads foul smells. In cities, stray animals are often seen feeding on waste, which harms them too. The result is clear—when we pollute nature, we harm ourselves.

Garbage mismanagement also affects ecosystems. Every piece of plastic thrown on land or in water takes hundreds of years to decompose. Birds, fish, and animals often eat this plastic, mistaking it for food, and die painful deaths. The soil loses its fertility when mixed with chemicals and plastics, making it harder to grow healthy crops. Polluted water sources spread diseases like cholera and diarrhea. Thus, the way we handle waste has a direct link to our own survival.

What can be done? The first and most important step is education. People need to understand why proper waste disposal matters. Schools, colleges, and community centers can play a big role in teaching children and adults about separating dry and wet waste, recycling, and reducing plastic use. Awareness campaigns should not only give knowledge but also inspire responsibility.

The second step is moral upgradation. It is not enough to know the rules—we must feel it is our duty to follow them. Throwing garbage carelessly is not only a bad habit, it is a failure of responsibility. Each person must develop a sense of pride in keeping surroundings clean.

There is still time to save our environment. By using dustbins, reducing single-use plastics, composting organic waste, and encouraging recycling, we can make a huge difference. Community clean-up drives and strict enforcement of waste management laws can support this effort. But above all, individual action is the key.

Our environment is our shared home. If we respect it and protect it, it will continue to give us clean air, water, and fertile land. If we neglect it, we will lose the very resources we depend upon. Garbage mismanagement is a man-made problem, and therefore, it can be solved by human will and action. The choice is in our hands—either to keep polluting until it is too late, or to act now and preserve the beauty of nature for future generations.

Mir Javid Iqbal, Lecturer Botany