DOMINIC HELAN ANAK ERIC¹

People litter because proper disposal is too costly or inconvenient. Littering becomes more apparent where the density of people is high. Visitor numbers at Samajaya Forest Park have increased drastically since it opened in 1998 (see Table 1), and littering has increased as a consequence. The high influx of visitors to the park is mainly due to easy accessibility from Kuching, ample parking space and free entrance. Management must take steps to reduce littering.

Table 1 : Visitors to Sama-Jaya Forest Park.

For a period of one week in June 2001, litter was collected at about 4.30 p.m. daily from three locations: the car park, the canteen, and the jogging and cycling tracks. The litter was then separated into four categories (plastic, paper, tin cans, and others) and weighed.

In addition, visitors were observed during peak hours (8.00-10.30 a.m. and 3.30-5.00 p.m. daily) to see who dropped litter.

Observation showed some intentional littering, most of which was done by children and least by the middle age group. Littering is most common around the administration block, car park, canteen and activity centre, where facilities are sited.

The amounts of litter collected in the various areas are shown in Table 2.

Table 2 : Litter at Sama-Jaya Forest Park for the period of one week.

The amount of litter was highest in the canteen area, and items from the park canteen itself seemed to be the main component of the litter.

The car park area is the starting point for visitors to the park. The car park area has the second highest amount of litter even though a total of 13 bins were positioned around the parking area to avoid littering.

The jogging and bicycle tracks recorded the least rubbish collected, possibly because of the distance from the source of the litter. There were 32 rubbish bins positioned along the tracks.

Public premises such as parks should be kept clean as possible. Picking up litter is a major task, and staff will spend more time in keeping the park clean than doing other work unless littering is reduced. Sufficient rubbish bins for the amount of rubbish involved should be positioned where they are convenient for visitors. Litter dropped should be picked up immediately, and additional staff should be deployed, especially during weekends, public holidays and during peak hours.

Others ways of mitigating littering problems at the park could include:

Education : The department should organise programmes such as anti-littering programmes, clean week campaigns and other related education programmes. Exhibitions and talks can be conducted in schools and private organisations to reinforce the message of the importance of keeping parks clean.

Beautification : If an area is naturally beautiful and well cared for, it is less likely to be trashed by uncaring people. It is essential that public places or parks should be kept as clean as possible.

Enforcement : Enforcement is essential and imposing a heavier fine may discourage littering.

Media : The most important media would be television and radio. Intensive media use could increase public awareness and convey the message that littering should not be tolerated.