You guys are so lucky

[CarlosFrazao]

You guys are so lucky, this is what my local wet land looks like and 80% of the rest of them look the same... Hate it so much and all this illegal dumping is killing loads of animals as they are eating this rubbish.

 

[Overread40]

Thoughts:

1) Use your camera to build a portfolio of this kind of shot; ergo showing the problems and damage caused (even better if you can get some animals eating/harmed by the rubbish*)

2) Use that media to drum up local support for a local voluntary conservation group.

Even if you've no expertise in habitat management if the wetland is open access land then you can work to at least clear the rubbish off.

*"Better" as in for the campaign not for the animals of course; and I would NEVER advocate trying to produce them by fake means and endangering animals - purely as a record.

 

[DarkShadow]

Sad.If I ever see someone dumping during my outings,I am documenting it with pictures of faces,license plate # and then calling DEEP. This stuff hurts us as well and some wonder why we have lots of cases of cancer and diseases,birth defects and on and on not to mention over use of chemicals like pesticides.

 

[CarlosFrazao]

See the problem we have here in this country is if you take anyone on for dumping you will either get beat up or killed no reason to even report to the authorities as they are all so corrupt and useless and their answers are why must we bother cleaning or closing up an area if they will just dump there again... No where is safe either so it sucks for us as we can't just walk outside and go take some pics without getting our equipment getting stolen

 

[DarkShadow]

Ouch thats really sad,Sounds like you need to relocate if you can one day.I love to move to North Carolina but just up and moving is easier said then done at least for me.

 

[CarlosFrazao]

One thing we have done is make signs with our own money warning that there will be fines if they are caught dumping but that doesn't help either

 

[CarlosFrazao]

Ouch thats really sad,Sounds like you need to relocate if you can one day.I love to move to North Carolina but just up and moving is easier said then done at least for me.

That's my future plans just finishing studying and then I want to move to Australia

 

[Overread40]

Rough life indeed
What about groups to clear the waste - local volunteers? Would there be any means to setup something like that? Surely moving in groups would keep the flytippers away whilst you're working and at least you get ontop of the problem itself.


Though of course land access coupled with what you have to do with the waste material might be a problem.

 

[Gary A.]

That is sad to live where people are afraid to the right thing and are frustrated where doing the right thing will have little to no impact over the long run.

But, if you do the right thing ... if you take a trash bag with you and clean up what you can when you can ... while it will not have a significant impact on the overall environment ... but it could make a small difference in a small arena.

I used to live near some tide pools. One day while walking along the beach I noticed a pair filling up buckets with Sea Stars. The buckets had holes in the bottom so contrary to their claims of taking them for aquariums, the Stars plucked Stars would soon be dead. So I went ahead of the poachers plucking out the Stars and tossing them into deeper waters. The poachers mocked me saying what I was doing won't make a difference ... I held a Star up in my hand and tossed it into the deeper water and I said "It made a difference to that one."

After a while they left the tide pools.

So while a trash bag at a time will have little impact on the overall pollution ... one trash bag may have a significant impact on a few nearby creatures.

 

[CarlosFrazao]

That is sad to live where people are afraid to the right thing and are frustrated where doing the right thing will have little to no impact over the long run.

But, if you do the right thing ... if you take a trash bag with you and clean up what you can when you can ... while it will not have a significant impact on the overall environment ... but it could make a small difference in a small arena.

I used to live near some tide pools. One day while walking along the beach I noticed a pair filling up buckets with Sea Stars. The buckets had holes in the bottom so contrary to their claims of taking them for aquariums, the Stars plucked Stars would soon be dead. So I went ahead of the poachers plucking out the Stars and tossing them into deeper waters. The poachers mocked me saying what I was doing won't make a difference ... I held a Star up in my hand and tossed it into the deeper water and I said "It made a difference to that one."

After a while they left the tide pools.

So while a trash bag at a time will have little impact on the overall pollution ... one trash bag may have a significant impact on a few nearby creatures.

see the problem is not just cleaning up as that we would have done, but people just walking there get stabbed and shot so its just not safe enough to try

 

[Designer]

You might think we're simply lucky in the U.S., but the struggle to curtail pollution (all types of dumping) has been a long hard struggle carried by many people over many years. We still have some illegal dumping, but less than before.

Just my hunch now, but suppose legal dumping could be easier, cheaper, and handier. I suspect that for someone to legally dump he has to sort everything, drive a long distance, and pay exorbitant fees. If that is the case, you're going to see more illegal dumping before anything gets better.

A few years ago our local dumping authority ASKED us to please keep container glass out of the regular trash. I am happy to comply with that reasonable and civil request. All around the city there are signs on or near the storm sewers reminding people that the storm water goes directly into the streams, so would we please keep harmful substances out of the storm sewers? I think it has helped.

Currently, we have to sort our trash, but most of us are used to it, and will do it willingly. Regular household refuse goes one place. Yard waste goes another place. Building demolition another. Liquids such as chemicals, paint, and discarded cleaners are handled separately.

But then; almost nobody kills to guard his secret dumping ground, so yeah, we really are lucky.

 

[DarkShadow]

And we have plenty of crime here to.There are places that just are not safe gear or no gear especially for women even at reasonable hours. All country's have bad and good but when the bad out weights the good its time to move on.

 

[KC1]

You are not going to persuade the officials or the culprits themselves, the point of a campaign would be to alert local media and the people that hire the officials (the public) and let them know why they need to vote them out.
If you are not willing to work to change what you don't like it won't go away.
You can also organize groups like the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Audubon Society and others to have clean up days and remove the trash yourselves and dispose of it using donations of cash, trucks etc. and become a change for the better.
Complaining will solve nothing.
http://www.aqua.org/~/media/BlogImport/ftmchenrybeforeafterjpg.jpg

 

[Gary A.]

That is sad to live where people are afraid to the right thing and are frustrated where doing the right thing will have little to no impact over the long run.

But, if you do the right thing ... if you take a trash bag with you and clean up what you can when you can ... while it will not have a significant impact on the overall environment ... but it could make a small difference in a small arena.

I used to live near some tide pools. One day while walking along the beach I noticed a pair filling up buckets with Sea Stars. The buckets had holes in the bottom so contrary to their claims of taking them for aquariums, the Stars plucked Stars would soon be dead. So I went ahead of the poachers plucking out the Stars and tossing them into deeper waters. The poachers mocked me saying what I was doing won't make a difference ... I held a Star up in my hand and tossed it into the deeper water and I said "It made a difference to that one."

After a while they left the tide pools.

So while a trash bag at a time will have little impact on the overall pollution ... one trash bag may have a significant impact on a few nearby creatures.

see the problem is not just cleaning up as that we would have done, but people just walking there get stabbed and shot so its just not safe enough to try

Oh ... that's different. Getting shot for cleaning up someone else's mess will certainly tempers one's willingness to do the right thing. I am sorry that you live in such a dangerous and unlawful place. I would seriously consider getting out also. Remember all places have their dangers, but some have less than others. I haven't lived there, but I hear that Australia is a nice place.

 

[CarlosFrazao]

yeah every place has its own problems unfortunately.. just wish the correct authorities would do their jobs correctly so that the normal people don't need to stress about it