Environmental Responsibility Should Not Have A VIP Treatment

This prompt reminds me of an incident that trended some time ago on facebook.
What happened was that, she had thrown banana peels inside the refuse van by the road side. It was the right thing to do anyway, but the officials caught her and still wanted to fine her, what led to the outburst on social media.

Well, I know that if I as a citizen throws a refuse into a gutter, I can be arrested or fined. But the question is;what happens when a company dumps waste carelessly, a contractor leaves debris blocking a drainage channel, or a business allows its waste to end up in waterways?
Who should be held responsible then?

This question came to my mind after the flooding that happened in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, in July 2026.
The rain was heavy, yes. But the flood wasn't simply about rain.

Several parts of Uyo were badly affected, with homes, roads, vehicles and properties submerged. While the citizens were blaming the government for negligence.
Authorities later pointed to blocked drainage channels, indiscriminate waste disposal and buildings obstructing waterways as some of the factors that made the situation worse. You see? Sometimes, the government is not always the problem.
And honestly, this is where I struggle with the way we talk about environmental responsibility.

We are quick to tell the ordinary person, "Don't throw that bottle there."
But environmental responsibility shouldn't suddenly become less important because the person causing the damage is a business, contractor or large organisation.
A blocked drain doesn't know whether the rubbish came from a poor man's house or a company's premises.
When the rain comes, the water simply carries everything along.

And the consequences don't ask who dropped the waste. It doesn't even want to know whose house or business is the biggest.

Someone's house gets flooded.
Someone loses their shop.
Someone's car is damaged.
Someone's belongings are destroyed.
Someone spends money repairing what they didn't cause.

After the Uyo flooding, the state government reportedly suspended some waste evacuation contractors over alleged negligence, showing that responsibility cannot always be placed on residents alone.

So, should an individual who litters be punished?
Yes.
But should companies and other organisations be held to the same, or even stricter, environmental standards when their actions affect larger communities?

Absolutely.

I don't think the solution is to punish companies simply because they are companies.
The real issue is equal accountability. Because littering is the same. Wether it comes from an individual or an organization.

If the law says dumping waste can put lives and property at risk, then the law should apply regardless of the size, influence or financial strength of the person or organisation involved.

Because at the end of the day, waste is waste.And a blocked drainage channel doesn't care who blocked it.
And just maybe, environmental laws shouldn't only ask, "Who dropped this waste?"

They should also ask:
Who was responsible for managing it?
Who failed to do their job?
And who should pay when that failure harms other people.

Thanks for stopping by!

This write up is my entry to the hive learners weekly prompt, episode 1.