Waste strewn around dustbins in public places an eyesore

Manmeet Singh Gill

Amritsar, October 30

Garbage scattered, or purposely thrown outside dustbins in public places, not only reveals the insensitivity of local residents towards safai sevaks who collect garbage, but also reflects poorly on their civic sense.

Despite installing dustbins at various places in the city, the garbage bins are often seen surrounded by waste thrown carelessly by residents who do not care about placing their waste bags in the bins.

The dustbins are emptied with the help of automatic vans. However, workers have to manually gather the waste scattered around. The waste around the dustbins also poses problems to commuters. Even stray dogs can be seen scattering the waste further.

“We often complain that the city lacks cleanliness and hygiene. But we often forget that it is us who make this city look either ugly or beautiful. Every resident must find a dustbin whenever he or she needs to discard any waste. It takes two seconds more if we try to put our waste in the container instead of throwing it towards the bin from a distance. All we need is place separate dustbins for wet and dry waste in public places,” said Joginderpal Singh, a resident.

A visit to the Nehru Shopping Complex on the Lawrence Road reveals that a large heap is always present just a few metres from the statue of Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru. “The dustbin is emptied every day by MC vans. Most of the times even if bins are empty, one can spot garbage thrown alongside it,” said a shopkeeper.

Residents say that there is a need to place more dustbins in public places. “Most of the shopkeepers are averse to placing of dustbins near their place as it emits a foul smell. The problem can be solved by emptying the bins twice or thrice a day so that waste is carried away before it starts to decompose,” said Harpal Singh, another resident.