LETTER | The Mega Cleaning Programme to mark World Clean Up Day on Sept 20 has come and gone. The organisers stated their activities go beyond picking up litter and should not be perceived as just an annual event.

This is a commendable message to everyone involved but likely not all will be picking up rubbish after the event.

The vital and pertinent message to inoculate and drive home to the participants is that they should adopt a place near their home to clean up rubbish regularly.

It could be the street they live on, the playing field, a nearby park, a hiking trail, their school, a community centre, or a place of worship.

Adopting a nearby place and doing regular clean-up there would be a more effective and meaningful way to keep the place clean and tidy, and more importantly, the very places where they live, play, learn, pray, and eat.

They don’t need to travel far or pay to get there. The place they help clean regularly will be a cleaner and more cheerful place.

To add better value to the clean up, separate the rubbish from the recyclables.

For those who do not wish to clean up regularly or even annually, there is a simple rule which should be followed by all - “If you can bring it in, you can take it out.”

This involves taking home whatever you brought out with you and instead of throwing it in public bins, take them home to throw in your bins or recycle.

Reduce plastic bags

Sixteen retail outlets will not be providing single-use plastic bags effective Oct 1, and it is estimated that 200 million plastic bags can be reduced annually.

This not only helps the environment, but it can also prevent microplastics from getting into our food and water and prevent bags from clogging drains, thereby reducing floods.

Supermarkets selling fresh vegetables and meat can further reduce the use of single-use plastic bags by limiting the number of smaller plastic bags provided for consumers to put in their purchases.

Incentives of points or discounts can be given to consumers who bring their own reusable bags or containers for the vegetables and meat bought.

Banana leaves can be used to wrap leafy vegetables as an alternative to plastic bags. Compostable bags can also be an option if consumers are willing to pay, and this can be used for meat as well.

It would be better to get more retail outlets, restaurants, hawker stalls, and wet markets to stop giving out single-use plastic bags.

Cleaning up should not be a periodic event but a regular activity. Single-use plastic bags should be made to be rare items instead of being everywhere on our streets, drains, rivers, and seas.

The health of the environment and future generations depends on us adopting more environmentally friendly and sustainable daily practices.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.