The concept is straightforward; volunteers gather at a given time and place, get gloves and bin bags, and set off to pick up rubbish. Last year, I took part in three of these, organised by Stowarzyszenie Przyjaciół Gminy Chynów (the association of friends of the Chynów municipality).
This year, there were 13 people taking part; we split into two groups. I was in the group cleaning up the street I know best from my countless walks to the the local shops – ulica Współna (lit. 'Common Street'). Until this afternoon, the street was blighted by hundreds, if not thousands, of empty vodka bottles, beer cars and energy-drink tins, along with cigarette packets, sweet wrappers and lesser detritus. A real eyesore.
From school children and their sweet wrappers and young adults and their vape accessories through to the outdoor-drinking community, thoughtless littering is a feature of modern life. Volunteer clean-ups are an answer (the real answer is that everybody gets it in their head that you take your litter home with you or put it in a bin!). Below: cleaning up ul. Wspólna, the mayor of Chynów municipality, Piotr Bernaciak. By the by, it's amazing that he was elected less than six months ago – he has got so much done in such a short space of time. Leadership by example.
The problem drinkers dump their empties by the road, in ditches, on the grass verges. Ideal fieldwork material for sociologists and market researchers. I notice the local geography of consumer preference; along ul. Wspólna, opposite the old Mirabelka supermarket, half-litre bottles of raspberry-flavour Soplica vodka predominate; further down Wspólna Cytrynówka Lubelska in 100ml małpki are the preferred tipple. Round the corner on ul. Kolejowa it's 200ml małpki of Żytniówka, while along ul. Wolska its the 100ml małpki of Żubrówka Biała that are found in greatest numbers. Beer in plastic bottles – an unusual material, associated with the cheapest brews like Kuflowe, is commonplace among the litter. When it comes to energy drinks, Black and Tiger are the brands with most thoughtlessly disposed-of containers
"What we gotta do as the people – we got to get together and clean that up, you understand" – James Brown, Talkin' Loud And Sayin' Nothing (Complete Version).
This time five years ago:
Between the rains
Ralph Vaughan-Williams - two song cycles
This time 17 years ago:
Spring scenes in Jeziorki
This time 18 years ago:
Modernist wheels
This time 19 years ago:
Mammatus clouds over Jeziorki
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6 comments:
It seems like Chynów has a decent mayor. He could perhaps talk to the police to show up once a day near these shops and fine the litterers. They could catch car drivers: speeding, illegally parked or driving on a footpath like that yellow van in your photo. :-) It's a minimum 500 zł fine for littering in public places. Apart from that, the council should pay someone to do rounds to pick up rubbish, clean graffiti, and look out for other damage (bent or turned signs, obstructed footpaths etc.) weekly.
I'd actually welcome the introduction of corporal punishment (under medical supervision) for the more egregious offenders (fly-tipping, graffiti tagging etc). The stocks, the birch, a pair of medically delivered black eyes.
That would be a step too far in my book, although Singapore still uses caning for serious offences. A bit of related trivia from down under: in Queensland's state schools corporal punishment was abolished only in 1995.
Seriously though, when visiting Poland, the rubbish, especially the small vodka bottles, but also graffiti, are very noticeable. Next time you happen to be at the Rakowiec PKP check the underpass under Grójecka - great first impression of Warsaw after arriving by train from the airport and walking to catch a bus towards Janki. :-(
The most important deterrent for misdemeanors such as littering and graffiti is shame; going around with a pair of surgically delivered black eyes for several days would have a salutary effect.
Underpass by PKP Rakowiec – not the worst example in Warsaw. I'd say the beautiful Poniatowski bridge being continually sprayed by mindless thugs with no sense of aesthetics takes that spot.
Poniatoszczak looks bad, and it's very visible. Remonts don't seem to help for long. It's not only graffiti, but also the volume of car traffic breaking the structures. For bike riders it is a horror. Even walking is unpleasant because the footpath is narrow and cars and buses go fast. I wonder if it could be rearranged so there is one lane for cars in each direction, buses and trams use the same space, and the remaining space is for riding bikes and walking.
It's no fun to walk across (especially if you have a fear of heights)! I'd close this bridge to private cars, restricting it to buses, taxis, motorbikes, bicycles and authorised deliveries ('zaopatrzenie'). I have little sympathy for the short-distance, one-per-car commuter.
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