More disgusting than spit strings when people talk, fouler than milk left in the sun and cockier than a rooster: why do people leave their rubbish behind in public places, presuming someone else will take care of it?
Public littering defies logic. Most of us wouldn’t throw rubbish on our own living room floor and walk away.
But when the setting changes to a street, train or public toilet, basic housekeeping is an optional part of the social contract.
Take the man who swept away from the Fishbowl counter with such vigour that the scoop of avocado sitting aloft slipped and plopped wetly at his feet. He looked at it, stepped over it and simply returned to the counter, seeking a replacement.
No hesitation. No guilty glance over the shoulder – just a smooth transition from customer to amateur environmental installation artist.
I scooped it from the ground, but not before at least one sneaker smeared the edge of it into the concrete.
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Then, there was the young couple going home from a date on a train. They spent the journey in animated discussion while sipping cans of Jack Daniels and cola.
When they reached their stop, they left their crushed empty cans on their seats, like little metallic farewell gifts for railway staff and fellow passengers.
My third encounter occurred in a public toilet cubicle on one of those frantic Sunday afternoons when an outdoor parkland seems to contain every person in the known universe.
Inside the cubicle, used feminine hygiene items had been left behind in plain view for the next visitor. Nearby sat a perfectly functional bin whose existence appeared to have been entirely overlooked.
The result was less ‘public convenience’ and more ‘crime scene investigation’.
Individually, these incidents are not civilisation-ending events. But together they represent a curious mindset: the belief that shared spaces are someone else’s responsibility.
Good citizenship isn’t always about grand gestures. Sometimes, it’s as simple as taking your rubbish with you, using the bin provided and leaving a place as you found it.
Not glamorous, admittedly, but it is a small act of responsibility.
And unlike litter, it’s something worth leaving behind.
Dr Jane Stephens is a UniSC journalism lecturer, media commentator and writer. The views of the author do not reflect those of UniSC.
