Our Desk | Who dropped off their recycling?

Julie Zhu

Recently during the morning when I was waiting for the bus to go to work, I saw a man carrying a cardboard box containing glass bottles and pieces of plastic and paper to a recycling trash bin near the bus stop. The man deposited each piece of trash into the correct spot according to its category.

That moment made me wonder just how many people originally came from or grew up in a culture or country where recycling was part of their entire lives, and then, after coming to Macau, put away their good recycling habits, perhaps adapting to the local culture too well.

The Macau government is often blamed for its failure to promote a recycling culture, and is also frequently criticized for its poor management of this issue.

The critics include myself, who came from a place where recycling was not a habit for anyone, where it is still not a habit, and where, probably, it will not be a habit in the long-term.

However, I learned about environmental protection in school, and I try to carry out what I was taught about protecting the environment: not ordering take away food, and always reusing plastic shopping bags, to name just two. Sometimes, when I forget to do so, I feel a strong sense of guilt, which I believe is also felt by many other people who slip up on such matters.

Macau is a place where people of many talents come from all over the world, and a large number of these people come from specific parts of the world where recycling is not only a personal commitment, but also a rule that everybody was educated to follow, even in some places being lawfully obliged to do.

If we are waiting for the government to do something to push other people into recycling while at the same time not recycling ourselves, surely we are being hypocritical? However, when the government does not provide the population with basic recycling guidelines, and consequently we take no action ourselves, how can we address this phenomenon? 

If enough of us do the right thing, it creates enough momentum for a change to actually stick. This should be noted by leadership of all types, whether it be the government, or even a specific class in society.

We just need more people to be engaged in the proper mindset. This might have an influence over the remaining people, as one’s behavior can be inspired from witnessing other people’s actions.

The engine of community change should not be the government. We need each individual to regard themselves as the humble resident who simply believes their contribution to society is what really matters.

In my opinion, that strength, that leadership, unfortunately does not exist in the “traditional and local” Macau community.

People need to always watch the government and compel it to do the right thing. Take for instance matters concerning the salaries and welfare of civil servants.

The government has its own lesson to learn and has its own share of responsibility regarding Macau’s devastating recycling issues. However, there are a few things that people can do to make a change, and these should be done by every single one of us.