Solution to Litter Problem?

petez


Joined: 04/12/2008
Posts: 560

Message Posted:
26/02/2009 19:57

Hi all,

I don't know about you, but the one thing bad about North Cyprus is the litter

I am trying to think of some way we can make a difference

,does anyone have any ideas?



Pete

Macha


Joined: 18/01/2009
Posts: 650

Message Posted:
26/02/2009 20:02

Educate a lot of the locals/settlers, none of whom like being told what to do by foreigners.



Tell the authorities they are criminally irresponsible not to have anti-littering legislation with heavy penalties in place like they do in the south. But they don't like being told what to do by foreigners either.



Best get used to it. What do you expect from people with no pride in their country?

cronos


Joined: 26/10/2008
Posts: 2093

Message Posted:
26/02/2009 20:05

Subtle as a sledgehammer as usual Macha !

rtddci


Joined: 29/12/2007
Posts: 842

Message Posted:
26/02/2009 20:10

One could be forgiven for thinking that some locals regard the TRNC as their meal ticket for life, job wise & financially including a good pension, that hard work is for lesser mortals, a flash car is very important and that with such a wonderful 'cushion' keeping the place tidy is of little importance along with tourists and foreigners in general.

dodger



Joined: 29/07/2007
Posts: 1895

Message Posted:
26/02/2009 20:11

Mess 2,

You are Pikey and i claim my fiver.

spider


Joined: 03/01/2009
Posts: 5527

Message Posted:
26/02/2009 20:47

I feel that the govenment should give heavy fines to Builders,thus the workers would have pay cuts,and perhaps pickup....WISH,

But have decided that if i am out,as always take my rubish home.if i were to see anyone leave theirs,a polite tap and just hand it to them back.Sundays seem the best day to impliment this.and belive all us brits should be doing the same...look foward to a tidy summer..







spider

petez


Joined: 04/12/2008
Posts: 560

Message Posted:
26/02/2009 20:48

Thats a good idea Rastaman!

Macha


Joined: 18/01/2009
Posts: 650

Message Posted:
26/02/2009 20:58

dodger: "You are Pikey and i claim my fiver."



I'll give you it when I see you.



I do seem to have support on this one, though.

fire starter


Joined: 19/06/2008
Posts: 3401

Message Posted:
27/02/2009 09:09

i think it is about pride and education.

i have six neighbours, three would never throw out litter anywhere or let their dogs run loose. the other three have no respect and trash everything, they live worse than gypsy's.

the decent neighbours and ourselves are always on the case of the local council to do something about it. they say they will but nothing ever happens.

i tend to throw anything which they have thrown my way back at them, something they don't like.

one neighbour every day threw his fag boxes onto our drive.

we spent a month collecting up ours in a bag, then tipped them out on his front path.

he didn't like it, but never threw his on our drive again.

asking nicely doesn't work, just treat like for like.

No1Doyen


Joined: 04/07/2008
Posts: 16617

Message Posted:
27/02/2009 09:25

Agree with message 9 (Nige?). Name and shame them.

deecyprus4


Joined: 27/07/2008
Posts: 3452

Message Posted:
27/02/2009 10:05

I too agree, as much as I love living here the rubbish is a problem and they should do like they do in the South, put up big notices..and fine the offenders...this is a small place and could be cleaned up in no time.....I also agree ppl need to have more respect..

magicart


Joined: 05/10/2008
Posts: 985

Message Posted:
27/02/2009 10:11

Last year a group of qualified people studied this issue for a number of months and put forward proposals and solutions to the government.



Their findings and report are still gathering dust in some government office.



This is a pity as it was a real opportunity for the government to take action.



I think things will only improve if the government get behind the issue and start to implement financial penalties.



Art

petez


Joined: 04/12/2008
Posts: 560

Message Posted:
27/02/2009 10:29

Hi Art,

i would love to know more about the study...

Do you know who did it or what the proposals were?

Turbo


Joined: 24/12/2006
Posts: 833

Message Posted:
27/02/2009 10:37

It will take time to educate , in the meantime, make use of prisoners and have them clean up the mess.

I would suggest more rubbish bins but watching people drink beer around the harbour walls last year and just leave the bottles where they area sitting or worse, smash them on the rocks.

Bins were located within reach.

More police patrols needed in summer time around the harbour would help a bit.

Stop cars parking up on pavement, people throwing sunflower seeds and beer bottles makes the harbour area look really sh+++y.

When tourism starts to drop , it might make them think twice.

DONTY


Joined: 07/06/2007
Posts: 534

Message Posted:
27/02/2009 11:21

Education is the key.



I grew up in the UK and the 'keep britain tidy' campaign was everywhere. subsequently I have grown up with a strong belief.



Without heavy duty marketing this problem wont go away as every bit of rubbish picked up is replaced twofold by someone who doesnt know any better.

The government need to sponsor an Ad campaign but, I am told they see it as the job of NGO's.



In the meantime I like the idea of businesses voluntarily sponsoring a stretch of road and getting a roadside placard to let everyone know about their community input. This is good advertising.



Another idea i like is to get businesses to sponsor beach cleaning with tractor and grooming machine. local councils can offset the cost of such a machine by asking local business to pay to have a logo on the side of the machine or a small placard naming the contributors at the beach entrance.



Of course the problem now is financing any project in the current financial situation.

Magbs


Joined: 26/02/2009
Posts: 278

Message Posted:
27/02/2009 11:34

Mess 2 (Macha)

"What do you expect from people with no pride in their country?"



I think it has nothing to do with the pride. Turkish (Rep of Turkey) people for example are quite proud of their country but you can find the same picture around their dwellings. In most fanciest all-inclusive clubs just cross the road and see the same building wastes, boxes, bottles etc.



I travel a lot usually without any sensitive proudness toward the places, I just respect my environment regardless of how long I stay their and that's what the education should be focused on. You can't count only on pride because most people are just unable to take this too broad thinking no wider than their land fence or village borders.

Macha


Joined: 18/01/2009
Posts: 650

Message Posted:
27/02/2009 12:38

Magbs,



Pride, or lack of, is only one of the issues I mentioned. Education was another and criminal legislation was a third.



It's a subjective issue, isn't it? I too have travelled extensively, also in Turkey, and can compare different places. But at the end of the day pride in one's country plays a big part in not turning it into a rubbish tip. I wouldn't suggest Turkish settlers are to blame for most of the trash lying around the TRNC, but I would say people who feel themselves to be second-class citizens and foreigners are less likely to be motivated to keeping the place tidy. That's the least of their worries.

Magbs


Joined: 26/02/2009
Posts: 278

Message Posted:
27/02/2009 22:00

Macha,





Everything is subjective since we have no statistics. It"s all about personal feelings.



I must admit I agree about second class citizens and foreigners (again, the second class

spider


Joined: 03/01/2009
Posts: 5527

Message Posted:
27/02/2009 22:35

shame but even here,we are a Statistic.....and just pay the tax...on everything..

















spider.

petez


Joined: 04/12/2008
Posts: 560

Message Posted:
27/02/2009 22:38

Donty,

I think you have some excellent ideas, they sponsor sections of road in the US in a simliar way. Excuse my ignorance but what is an NGO?



Do you think inititives like these would be easier to get off the ground now the spotlight is on Cyprus?

ilovecyprus


Joined: 08/05/2007
Posts: 2880

Message Posted:
27/02/2009 22:49

Many of the points on this threadare extremely valid. All good common sense. Cleanliness would certainly help the tourist industry.



Studies in Holland show, that if you have lots of litter and graffitti in an area or wall it simply grows. If the place is dirty people see it as such and just add to the mess.

If you clean up an area, people see it as clean and are more inclined to keep it that way.



New York major Guiliani realised this principle. Whenever a window became smashed he got it mended immediately. The area was more likley to stay clean. When a broken window was left broken the area would soon become dirty and unkept.

ilovecyprus


Joined: 08/05/2007
Posts: 2880

Message Posted:
27/02/2009 22:51

msge 22



NGO - Non government organisations - charities, community groups etc

Bradus


Joined: 25/02/2007
Posts: 2641

Message Posted:
27/02/2009 23:10

"I would say people who feel themselves to be second-class citizens and foreigners are less likely to be motivated to keeping the place tidy"



So that would be the Brits then Macha?

petez


Joined: 04/12/2008
Posts: 560

Message Posted:
27/02/2009 23:21

Thanks ilovecyprus....



Its a very good point,



Maybe we could start a "rubbish in cyprus" photo group.

And take pictures of the litter.



We could shame the government into action before it puts people off coming here and affects the tourism income???



They say a picture is worth a thousand words, what would 10,000 pictures say?



What do you think??





















I have friends in Japan who walk round with mini ashtrays outside when they smoke for the ash!

Tootie


Joined: 28/08/2008
Posts: 2037

Message Posted:
27/02/2009 23:27

When i was over two weeks ago i saw alot of street cleaners and the place was looking alot better than when i was over last november.



I think builders do make the most mess/rubbish because they seem to start a job and leave it for months and it dosent look good.



toot

petez


Joined: 04/12/2008
Posts: 560

Message Posted:
27/02/2009 23:38

If you have a facebook account join

"Litter in North Cyprus"



http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=131520585014

ilovecyprus


Joined: 08/05/2007
Posts: 2880

Message Posted:
27/02/2009 23:44

msge 26



Hi petez



I love your enthusiasm. Politicians see the rubbish on a daily basis so I am not sure they would be influenced by photos, all they may be so accustomed to the rubbish that they might not actually see it and be unaware of its impact.



Macha is probably right in this regard.



I wondered what would happen, if everytime I came to the TRNC, I went out in to Lapta town with a dustbin liner and litter picker and picked up the rubbish. Now I know for sure that many locals would just laugh at me but a few might be curious and eventaully copy me.



I am not telling the locals what to do but I am inviting them to join me through my actions.



Now if 400 Brits did this same action consistently around Cyprus I wonder what would happen.



Also I know that some Brits and TC's have cleaned up some beaches but i wonder what would happen if teams of Brits cleaned up Kyrenia on a regular basis. This is right in peoples faces.



Just thinking outside the box.

ilovecyprus


Joined: 08/05/2007
Posts: 2880

Message Posted:
28/02/2009 00:01

follow up to message 29



The cleaning events would need to be random for greater impact.

petez


Joined: 04/12/2008
Posts: 560

Message Posted:
28/02/2009 01:58

Will do some thinking on it, glad to see some people care though..



i was thinking more along the lines of the unwanted publicity a group like that could attract...

Hector


Joined: 26/08/2008
Posts: 2352

Message Posted:
28/02/2009 02:33

"When tourism starts to drop , it might make them think twice."



And where have you been lately? Tourists? What tourists?

pinkchilli


Joined: 30/11/2008
Posts: 689

Message Posted:
28/02/2009 08:26

Most of the rubbish is caused by builders from building properties. These properties are then sold to foreigners, but for my argument, it doesn't matter who buys them.



They dump for free. They dump local to where they are building.



How much would it cost to dump correctly. £100 per 10 square metres, the dump site may be 30 minutes away.



So who is going to pay? Your property may cost a few hundred pounds more. Maybe even a thousand. How many of us, would insist upon correct dumping and pay the extra? I know you will say, how do I know it's being dumped correctly? Good point. You don't.



So, you need massive penalties. The driver, gets deported or 6 months or 5,000TL fine. The bosses (all of them) get double.



People who report this get a free Merc or BMW, there must be plently sitting in the showrooms!



Get the locals to move their coffee shops to possible dumping areas, they wouldn't then even have to miss their favourite past-time!

pinkchilli


Joined: 30/11/2008
Posts: 689

Message Posted:
28/02/2009 08:28

I've had another idea.



Dump everything in an area that will be returned to the other side if there's a settlement.

petez


Joined: 04/12/2008
Posts: 560

Message Posted:
28/02/2009 09:36

I like the BMW idea, could we extend it to Porches too?

ROBIN HOOD


Joined: 26/05/2008
Posts: 238

Message Posted:
01/03/2009 11:00

They've got an army (literally) of helpers. All equipment etc supplied. So insteasd of sitting in barracks.....

Dawnie1


Joined: 27/09/2008
Posts: 217

Message Posted:
01/03/2009 11:58

I was talking to the owner of the restaurant up in the montains at the end/start "tank track" Kokan or something like that (can't remember right now)& he had the minister of education there & asked her if the rubbish problem could be addressed in schools and by starting young, it would filter through, & she refused to acknowledge there was even a problem!!!! He said what chance do we have if we cannot get a minister to agree there is an issue.