I have always seen is as something preposterous and shocking how differently littering is treated based on who is involved in it. If a regular guy throws a can bottle on the walk way, suddenly at that moment, there are rules, fines, warning, sanctions and something in some states, such person might be apprehended. We are told different things about the damages littering can cause to our communities and environment and how unhealthy it can become.
Fair enough. It should. And at the same time, I have seen the damages and what happened in my society when a iron factory started releasing harmful gases into the atmosphere, polluted the environment, water, blocked drainage and littered everywhere. This affected a lot of people, I recall, but yet, the response felt surprisingly quiet when people shout out for help.
That right there is where all these questions got uncomfortable in a way that why does the size of the organisation and the people involved seem to to matter when the end outcome is still pollution?
When anyone drops any dirty thing, be it plastic, nylon, bottles, it will contribute to the dirtiness of that area, but when a large quantity of waste is carelessly released, it will definitely cause a much more bigger problem in a way that those around the large discharge of waste will have no other choice than to deal with the water contamination, air pollution, drainage blockage, damaged properties and the rest of things I didn't mention that might come with it even though they didn't create it.
All companies around always have a detailed rules they follow, and government can't go around punishing them without deeply looking into the root of what happened. They can't act without solid evidence, fair process and proper procedures. But being always fair should not be directed to just a direction.
If a common man can be punished for pouring waste into a moving flood, then all these companies around should likewise be held responsible for their actions especially when it is harmful and dangerous to the environment and those living within. Because it is a large organisation does not give them the audacity to do what they like and always give scot-free when they litter the environment.
And I am not saying this to argue or counter any business around because they give employment opportunities, service and product that we all use. But that is economic importance, which does not give room for the environmental responsibility to be kept aside.
Thinking the other way round, maybe the real problem is not whether companies or we people should be held responsible or more harshly. It is whether the same principle is being applied every now and then. If an individual litters the ground and that is not acceptable, then it should also be wrong when a lot of people are involved especially when they are affected. The waste may be large than the other, but what I stand on is that the responsibility should not be.
Image from Pixabay
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