The growing levels of rubbish created by our society should be a cause for concern. At times it can seem like we are drowning in a sea of human-made waste.
Land or sea - nothing it seems is off limits.
Along the south coast recently, the sea was polluted with millions of plastic sewage buds, leaked from a Southern Water wastewater plant in Eastbourne.
The clean-up goes on, much of it by a volunteer army of concerned citizens. The damage to human and wildlife has yet to be finally assessed.
On land, there are increasing instances of flying-tipping from small amounts of rubbish to huge dumps, involving vehicles and industrial sized operations.
The clear up takes time and can run into the millions of pounds.
Local councils are often left to deal with these situations, pursuing the perpetrators and ensuring clear up.
At local level, we have run a volunteer councillor-led litter pick, once a month, in central Wanstead, for the past eight years.
Many bags are filled every time, with all sorts of waste and are added to the many collected by council street cleaners. You may have seen them waiting to be collected on the high street.
There are other litter picks conducted by Friends of Wanstead Park in and around the park. The work sessions done by the River Roding Trust see literally tonnes of rubbish pulled out of the river.
There have been positive changes made to the collection of rubbish in Redbridge.
The roll out of wheelie bins across the borough, then more recently food waste collection. Recycling levels are increasing. But though much is going on to address the problem of disposal, there also needs to be a fundamental change in everyone's attitude towards the creation of waste in the first place.
We all need to live in a far more sustainable way, that involves treading much more lightly on the earth. Everyone needs to create less waste, in addition to dealing responsibly with the rubbish we do create.
It is amazing the amount of rubbish created by one household. Can this not be reduced? Yes, recycle, put everything in the right containers but fundamentally stop creating waste in the first place.
The illegal dumping of rubbish must stop. Councils must prosecute people who act in this irresponsible way.
The earth is a finite resource, humankind cannot just continue consuming and dumping in this nihilistic way.
- Paul Donovan is Labour councillor for Wanstead Village ward, Redbridge Council and a blogger (paulfdonovan.blogspot.com).
