Tourism Waste Problems and Environmental Impact
While travels during holidays bring happiness to most people it also produces lot of garbage to landfill. After every festival, holiday and travel we create a lot of waste stuff; left over food, dead batteries, wrapping paper, packaging, bottles, cans and more. So, how do you tackle tourism waste problems and environmental impact? How to reduce and recycle waste during travels?
How Do You tackle tourism waste problems
We must consciously try to do zero waste travel to reduce the colossal damaging human impact on Mother Earth. Wise consumption, reducing and recycling the travel waste we create can be the little steps each of us can take to tackle the tourism waste problems and the negative environmental impact they have.
While those that can be reused must be reused. If further reuse is not possible recycle them and then the final step, dispose properly. Onus is on the tourists to follow this meticulously, only then these sight seeing places can leave sweeter memories.
Let us identify the major ways we create waste during travels:
- Water and eatables
- Tickets, books, documents, batteries
- Toiletries
Use Reusable Containers
Journeying through India in the past few years has been a very pleasant experience. But then I did come across some eyesores too… particularly the water bodies. Many of them had plastic bottles and other rubbish.
Edible fish have ceased to exist in these water bodies due to continued bouts of hypoxia. Most of them I am sure are mosquito nurseries of these scenic sights. It was a shock for me to see the locals washing clothes at Agastya tirtha Tank at Badami in North Karnataka.
At other places like in Daulatabad in Maharashtra, the locals blamed the tourists. Holidaymakers leave behind much of the waste, the plastic bags and bottles, the locals complained.
Now, water is essential. We can’t do without it. But we can surely do away with the plastic bottles. Refill your bottle and don’t buy fresh plastic bottles. Packing your own snack boxes too helps contributing to less waste during travels.
Look at this bird struggling to find a neat corner to sip water from. When will we learn?
Go Paperless
The good news is you no longer have to show paper tickets. Download the ticket in your phone which is considered valid. E-tickets are accepted by buses, trains, metro services and airlines. You can also download your reading materials, books for travels. There are several apps that keep you updated on the latest.
Using rechargeable batteries is another means of having zero travel waste. Cameras, smartphones, computers all come with rechargeable batteries. And in case you are left with an unusable dead battery take effort to dispose it properly. Don’t just trash it your travel destinations.
Toiletries
The third essential thing to pack for your travels is your toiletries. I always find it optimise this list. Smaller sized refill bottles are the best solution. Sachets were a in-thing once, but I am completely against the sachets of shampoo and creams, as they add more to the plastic garbage.
Also, if you plan to snorkel or go scuba diving choose sunscreens that are safe for the coral reefs. Long sleeved rash guards are a better option too.
Also read: Responsible Tourism – 3 Vital Factors that Contribute
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all our heritage-natural and cultural will soon be spoilt..just think after durga puja or ganesha ..the water bodies are a mess
Apart from the awareness creation – the govt. needs to provide bins at various places for people to dispose the wastes at these sites.
As Raji points out, Marina literally gets t(h)rashed.
We all are in charge of our waste..regardless of where we are at. Such a shame places all over the world suffer at ignorance. That last picture sums it up…lazy, selfish, and thoughtless…whoever it is!! Yuck!!
It’s such a shame that so many underdeveloped nations are so indifferent about pollution like this. Your photos are amazing. Thanks so much for sharing your world.
Ew! It seems they need to have clean up days like we do around here, people willing to clean up and maybe more trash cans readily available so people will be more apt to use them? That’s really sad. 🙁
Well said. We need to be more alert/aware on this. The day after any public holiday at the Marina beach ….has to be seen to be believed.
i don’t know about bottles and cans but i always carry rechargeable batteries
You are so right Indrani; if only we could keep these beautiful places litter free too. And water bodies are the ones which are being abused more.
According to the press in SG, the amount of waste generated before (doing spring cleanning) and during CNY is huge!
Touching post…Ramesh is right stop molesting the planet now…
Due to the economy, there were way. way less large pieces of styrofoam and boxes left out with the garbage. It seems that there is a long learning curve involved with this. Water in particular hasn’t had a lot of respect, and the underground water here decreases every year. It’s something we will all have to deal with eventually.
Wow…I’m speechless!
Water is too precious to be used like this.
Not to mention marring beautiful scenes.
That is sad.
Thought provoking post…We all have the same problem, unfortunately. I try not to be part of the problem, and to help my children not to contribute to the waste.
That is horrible. I can’t imagine what it would cost to clean that up.
That’s so sad. I saw similar problems with waste management but human and trash related while in Vietnam.
Very thought provoking post. To have such beauty made ugly by us. It is shameful.
That is just so sad. 🙁
terrible – but the difference is that fact that out here, we see trash cans placed here & there so that they can be used. do you see any to drop your trash into when you go visiting? And then, if there is one and when these cans get filled, do they get emptied regularly? the whole concept of trash disposal is alien to many parts of India..
oh that is terrible
wonderfully presented..and solid arguments..congrats friend..if only people learn..and stop molesting the planet..
Water quality in a good bit of the world is a problem in any case. We certainly don’t need to add to the problem with a thoughtless visit to such beautiful places as these.
Hi Indrani! TGIF!! 😉
Unfortunately, this doesn’t help to stop pollution… Question of culture and education also… ;(
Your pictures of the Rajsamand Lake are stunning! Have to ask for some tips on what to see in Rajasthan…
Blogtrotter, still posting on Delhi! Enjoy and have a great weekend!
Just think what all that material would value in recycling! A waste indeed. And a pity about the otherwise nice view.
It is sad to see all this pollution. I suppose if you don’t have a washing machine and there’s a pool outside, then you have to wash in that.
I am sure that holiday makers contribute too.
You provoked some thought with this post and illustrated it well.
George said the problem is world wide !! Phew !!
We humans really need to think, what do we want to leave for our children ?
It’s a shame when litter mars a scenic or historic location. Unfortunately I think the problem is world-wide. How can we be so thoughtless?