The Insights of Solid Waste Management Problem in my Community
Istill remember when I chose Environmental sciences as my degree, I have got certain valuable remarks like ‘ Oh, so you are going to be safai wali and other remarks like you cannot change the world specially Pakistani society’. These words at that time were the source of motivation as I have always felt that one succeeds by breaking such stereotypical shackles. But to my amazement, things seem really hard when I really started the analysis.
I brought up in the colony of a hospital, primarily so much clean as you might know how the colony system works. Special workers used to come to our house for garbage collection and as per the rules of a colony, people do not throw the garbage out. Well, my eyes opened when we moved to a civilian zone of a middle-class economy, and I saw heaps and heaps of garbage in the surrounding areas. My motivation was still there, as I thought I will do something great when I will reach at an authoritative position. But how much time I should spend waiting? I feel like it’s time to start.
If I share few incidents, once I was in public transport, I saw few kids throwing garbage outside, and I said to them politely, that please do not throw garbage as it is making our surroundings dirty, but they pointed towards a municipal heap (the collection site amidst the populated zone) and said our garbage is pretty normal in front of that, and they took this act pretty for granted. Then I started pondering over this issue of solid waste management in Pakistan. I have realized that the government is putting effort into bringing new machinery, I won’t say 100%, but the efforts are there. Actually, they are lacking in providing awareness in this regard and there is no implementation of legislation in this regard too. We are not directed as we should be. The malpractices are at every level, public, workers, organization and government. This problem is getting so bigger that eventually, it is leading to helplessness.
This has given me the insight to work on this problem, and I want to solve this issue at a local level in a nearby village as my mega project by implementing the design thinking framework.
A sense of helplessness has dived in there and the community-building initiative has lost its spirit. I want to educate this community about their basic rights and about their duties. I want to give them the concept of being a responsible citizen. Furthermore, I want to educate people on The 5R’s: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Rethink. This will not only reduce their problems but also will make a stronger community.
If I add more such communities do not thrive because of lack of money, as I talk to few women out there on this issue. Firstly they did not think of open dumping as a problem, afterwards, they have told me a valid reason that Union Council disposal bins are quite away from their houses and being females they are not allowed to go far and male members do not cooperate in this case. That has made me to work in this domain. The people over here are not financially strong to fill up such necessities or even if they are strong they lack the sense of community. Education and awareness on such matters can bring revolution in this area. I want to educate people on the correct disposal of solid waste along with the insight that one individual can really make a difference.
This blog depicts the empathic side of my idea. Though I do agree that choosing it as a mega-project won’t help me in highlighting my pitch in terms of monetary revenue as well as it will be hard to involve my teammates in terms of tangibility and feasibility, yet it will pave a way to clarify and refine my sense of thinking to solve this problem in my community.
