Are Filipinos Disciplined in Throwing Garbage? :-(

it depends upon the place.. there are places where people are so disciplined and there are those places wherein people arent...

i think it's a case of "monkey-see, monkey do". and i know, not all of us do that. and that's why we have to set a good example, especially to young kids as it will teach them the proper way at a very impressionable age. and as for the dogs defecating everywhere. well, we don't have dog pounds here and we don't implement laws on catching stray dogs and they're just everywhere and even some pets aren't house-trained. i wish the government would take these things seriously and impose strict policies regarding the cleanliness of our country. it's such a beautiful country after all, and it would be such a pity to see it be covered in trash. :(

There are really those people who just doesn't care at all. The people you described are one of them. We also have them in our community and even in our own building. They just litter here and there whithout any regard for hygiene and cleanliness. I just hate those people.

Well, practically its about discipline. Most of us are accustomed to just throwing thing anywhere. There are those who really put their garbage in the right places and their are those that just throw it anywhere. We are basically destroying our environment by just throwing garbage anywhere. The thing is, this is the reason why are drainage system is clocked and when rainy season comes, there is flooding. In the end, it is all of us who will suffer. I do hope that everyone will cooperate. The problem is we only follow rules when there are those who are watching because we are afraid of getting penalized. Well, I am glad that there are people like you who are indeed disciplined. I hope that each and everyone of us will do the same....

Well that is nice to know you would take some action. Hope the Barangay Officials would take action too. I really hate it when people just throw stuffs in the streets. I mean come on how can they be so disrespectful. My blood boils every time I saw people throwing paper like ticket from buses and candy wrappers. I mean it is so small why not keep it for a while and throw it in the trash can. And those people drinking juices and softdrinks, after they finished their drinks they would throw it. I do appreciate recycling but some scavengers look in trash bag and get stuffs they can sell in junk shops and leave the other trash outside the trash can. Oh my blood pressure is rising. I am into proper waste segregation and recycling and I sell some waste in junk shops (extra money) like paper, plastic bottles and tin cans. I hope Filipinos would learn how to segregate waste properly and help save Earth. I think their is a law already in place for waste segregation but the implementation sucks. As a popular line goes "We did not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we owe it to our children". Hope Filipinos learn this.

I believe the problem has to do with the society they were accustomed with and not deeply ingrained with the people's mentality. For example: Filipinos living abroad, especially USA, are known to be strictly adhering to environmental sanitations. We can apply the same here in Philippines. Stricter enforcement of existing laws are needed to curb wayward citizens who thinks that the outside world is their garbage bin. Just take a look at model cities like Marikina. Sometimes you need a disciplinarian like Bayani Fernando to bring back the people on the right path.

Stop wondering my friend, many are lack of discipline here in the Philippines, except for one or two - that's ME and YOU. ..I would always encounter the same dilemma like you are because I live near the PNR station along Espanya and I always see garbage around. Worse, if you provide trash can, they will steal the can. Worst, you have to write "trash can" or "garbage can" on it and they will never throw their garbage in it. You can really see the difference between an educated person to the uneducated and a civilized man to not. Moreover, even how many "ondoys" come, it seems people never learn. Bad thing is, there are more undisciplined than those who have it.

Well, not generally. I for one don't really feel good when I'd just throw rubbish anywhere. I can't even stand a crumpled piece of paper lying 'round where I work. I just pick it up and throw it myself most of the time. For others, I guess that's their habit. They might be like that at home as well since, if they can easily just throw trash when they are outside, what more in the convenience of their own homes? I wish we were dealing with something like that at our place, I mean people not throwing garbage properly. That way, when I do see them doing that, I can call out their attention and make them throw it properly. I can even call them names that would really catch their attention. The one that we have right now would be pets leaving their crap or just crapping infront of our house. I would really like to get out sometimes and hit them with a broom while they are busy defecating. Of course, I would think that its not the animals fault if their owners can't keep them in their own houses. Sometimes, I would just see the dog trying to find a spot while the owner is just a few houses a way, talking with another neighbor while looking at their dog. I would really like to simply walk out with a broom, look at that neighbor, at their dog, look at that neighbor again and swing the broom away. If that doesn't work, I guess we need to rephrase, "action speaks louder than words."

i lived at marikina and we segregation our trash. dry is separated from wet and from the recyclable. but do all of us do it? i dont think so. specially that there is a new leader in the city hall.... as far as observation is concerned i see marikina getting dirty slowly. i hope the new leader still holds the good things that the Bayanis implemented here. with you going to the barangay hall to propose trash cans, that is a good idea. hope they grant your wish. but just a suggestion that you propose 3 trash can for recyclable, wet and dry trash. good luck bro

hi letranknight, regarding garbage,i found that most of the people in our town is throwing the garbage on the roads,streets and every where,they does not have any discipline,even the govt is also not restricting them and they are not at all following their regular norms of cleaning the city,people have to change themselves and keep the garbage aside and segregate them to the pooling spot,have a nice day

i want a built in garbage bin that's easy to clean easy to maintain and easy to empty out. i don't want it to get stolen so i want it built on the ground. i know most filipinos are not disciplined in pretty much anything you can think of... very few of us make an effort to make the place a better place to live in.... but anyway, it only frustrates me to think about them.

A lot of people are, but I am proud to say that I am not one of them. When it comes to garbage, I am willing to carry it until I see a proper garbage can and I really make it a point to throw it inside. I don't play basketball with garbage. I know what you mean. The garbage can near an ATM will usually have crumpled paper around it, and just a few that actually make it inside. Why do they just throw it when they're clearly not basketball players? Does it take a lot to stand beside a garbage can and throw it down? It's a sign of backwardness actually. We are so undisciplined in so many aspects. I don't think it's just us Filipinos. Most third world countries are undisciplined about their garbage probably because there are no penalties for it.

You still lucky I remember when I was there people also in my place throw garbage and also they allow their pet dogs to poo anywhere in front of my house which really very annoying. there's no cure of Filipinos who are really no descipline. That's their trade mark but no offense to Filipinos like me but really it stick in our blood.

Are they immigrants from the country? new to US? if so, possibly they don't think of where to put/throw their trash. maybe they think somebody would collect their trash if they throw their trash outside for them. they might never have thought that they were the responsible in taking care of their own trash. why don't you contact city gov office for help or suggestion? or find a organization or group for Filipino community in your area (including Asian community, they may include Filipinos) and tell them your problem. somebody from the office may visit your area to talk to your Filipino neighbors, or ask the office to make a sign in their language, so you can display in front of your house, or print the same message and deliver to each houses of Filipinos. As long as they don't understand what you are doing about their trash, they won't stop. try communicate in words!! not just displays trash bag or box.

I admit I also throw garbage not properly in some areas of our house, but on the street I do find a garbage can to throw my garbage or else keep it in the bag. You know if the place is clean, no one will dare throwing the garbage there, they will feel ashame to do it. Just look at Makati, in Ayala. I haven't scene people who throw garbage everywhere, because people see that the place are clean and there are so many garbage can. What I mean in some place in Makati only. Throwing a garbage everywhere is a sign of undiscipline, and being like that will lead us to nowhere.

I feel your pain Letran. I also know how this is. Its quite great that you would take action about this. Not to burst your bubble but all houses have their own trash cans. Even if every house puts out some sort of trash can outside their home so that passersby would have some place to put it, most of the trash wouldnt even be in the can itself, as you have already mentioned. All or even most houses would not even think of putting cans outside because if it was made of metal or wood, it will just get stolen. If it was made of plastic, dogs and other stray animals would be able to get to the trash and retrash the whole street. A sad reality is that most people just dont care. They would spit and litter anywhere and everywhere but they still have the gall to complain if the smell or the dirt has caught up to them. As for the laziness in opening up the lid, most people feel that its dirty and they dont want to get their hands dirty so they just throw the trash on the lid or the side of the can. At least that's what Ive observed. Goodluck with your proposal though, I hope that it gets somewhere.

Hospitals observe it as I saw in the hospitals I have been to. As for individual Filipinos, some are not disciplined but as for me, my conscience tell me to behave and look for proper disposal

Native Filipinos are indeed not discipline to use garbage bags, cans, barrels and other containers. This is specially true if you compared it to those Filipinos who are now residing in US like myself. In my beach resort in Boac, Marinduque, Chateau Du Mer, I have two garbage barrel bolted and place by the side of the beach house. Yet, I still have to hire a teenager to help clean up the litter by the seashore almost every week. But if you visit their homes, they are clean. So is this laziness curable?

We have poor practice when it comes to garbage throwing. I actually envy those places with good segregation of garbage and recycling programs.

When I lived in the Philippines I noticed in a very nice subdivision that these teenage boys would take the chewing gum in their mouth out and stick it on the wall outside their own house. I've also witnessed numerous times when members of a household would urinate own their own walls. I've even seen a kid 18 or so spray paint his name on the side of his parents house he told me it was so his friends could find his house. I'm not say that this is typical but it's noticeable enough that laws should be put in place to respect others as well as own property.