Through analyzing New York City’s waste, this article encompasses many issues we’ve discussed in class. The so called “garbage problem” has led to noise pollution, sound pollution, air pollution, and highlights New Yorkers’ carelessness and the governments incompetence in addressing the situation.
A natural first step to address the problem is to recycle. The article points fingers at the government for sending mixed signals, as for example there are much more public wastebaskets than recycling bins. I believe the government could take more serious measures to enforce recycling rather than simply encouraging it. In my house, we recycled bottles and after they failed to consistently be picked up, we stopped separating the trash out of frustration and inconvenience.
What I found most interesting is the fact that we focus so much on dealing with the garbage, as oppose to stopping it from even coming into existence. To begin with, New Yorkers could attempt to be less wasteful. Walshe argues that a lot of waste comes from NYC take out. While I do not think that the concept of taking out food is within itself wasteful, I believe Walshe is pointing to all the excess wrapping, plastic etc. that is generated through take out. If only restaurants were more conscious of their material use, the problem could be lessened. Even using dishes over disposable utensils and plates could go a long way in relieving garbage.
I appreciated Walshe’s closing remarks, “instead of having a sigh of relief that our backyard was not chosen as the site for the latest garbage processing facility, we should start recognizing that when we throw something away, it does not go away, it just ends up in somebody else’s backyard.” New Yorkers generally have the “out of sight, out of mind” mentality. When the garbage is taken away, out of their hands they are oblivious to its impact. However, Walshe touches on the fact that even when people perceive the waste as a threat, they still tend to be passive and act in oblivion.
