Nowadays, we are producing more and more rubbish. Why do you think this is happening? What can government do to help reduce the amount of rubbish produced?

As urban populations soar, an increase in

rubbish

and littering tends to follow. To avoid the deterioration of city streets, some argue that local people they need to take responsibility, whereas others feel that it is the government that should be taking care of

this

. In my view, while I agree that the authorities do need to enforce certain rules and provide facilities, ultimately it is the residents who have to self-regulate and maintain their neighbourhoods. In order for streets to be kept tidy, the government must maintain a system of

rubbish

collection and cleaning. In my suburb of Mentone,

for instance

, the council collects

rubbish

every week, and there are

also

cleaners who tend to the parks and public spaces every two days. Without these regular activities, the streets would quickly descend into chaos with overflowing bins, blocked drains and dirty sidewalks. As taxpayers, it is reasonable to expect the authorities, to whom we pay our taxes, to play some role in the upkeep of neighbourhoods. It is

also

,

however

, vital that residents themselves participate in

this

. If they do not put their

rubbish

in the right place at the right time,

then

the council systems, regardless of how rigorous they are, would not be effective. Locals can

also

do simple things like clean up after their dogs, mow their sidewalk lawns, put their junk in bins when in public spaces, and maintain the area around their property. When everyone participates, the job of keeping the streets clean is manageable. In conclusion, keeping our streets in a reasonable condition is a matter of teamwork. Policies and systems need to be implemented by local and national authorities, and residents need to not only adhere to them but

also

be proactive in the upkeep of their area