For a cleaner world

We enjoyed Jordanian hospitality, the historic sites, the Royal Automobile Museum, the souks, restaurants, Karak Castle, Dead Sea, etc.

Yet, Jordan could be much more beautiful if there weren’t such a problem with litter.

Taking responsibility for properly discarding trash does not seem to be part of the culture.

I asked one young man in his 30s about the problem, and he said Jordanians do not care.

I think this problem could be addressed by a collective effort.

Youth could be hired to clean up trash, such as plastic bags and old tyres, and perhaps 17 year olds and above could clean up stones, sand, etc.

Plastic bags are a menace to the environment. Researchers fear they may never decompose, but instead turn into smaller and smaller pieces.

It is estimated that it may take 100 years for plastic bags to decompose. By using them, we are damaging our food chain on land and in our waters.

Stores could use paper bags, which decompose much faster.

Bangladesh does not allow plastic bags and the stores give cloth bags. Plastic bags chocked their drainage system during floods.

We, in the US, also need to work more on this problem.

Some countries put a tax on plastic bags, which reduced their use by 90 per cent.

If no government money is available, perhaps some wealthy Jordanians could help fund the hiring of youth to clean up the country.

Let us all work together to make a more beautiful, safe, pleasant world.

Dottie Lewis McDaniel,
US