Image 6.1 Burning Rubbish (Photo by Fidelia Beatrice)
Many feel that burning rubbish is the only way to get rid of it as it turns into ashes and disappears into nothingness. In the evening, around 5 pm, as I travel along the road, I can visibly see at least 10 houses burning their trash at the same time within a 20 minutes journey home from the market. When I asked one of my interviewees why he burns their household rubbish, he assumes that when the rubbish is burnt, it disappears and even if there is smoke, the sky is such a big expanse that it will not have much effect on it. However, when asked about the numerous houses burning at the same time and its possible effect, he could not answer, showing their lack of thought into the mass effect.
Image 6.2 Floating Rubbish (Photo by Fidelia Beatrice)
Similarly, that is what they thought of the sea too. As they throw rubbish into the sea, they think that the waves and current will bring the rubbish away from them. However, one youth noted that although that was their assumption, she can see that most of the rubbish are actually washed back to the shore and are not brought along with the current to the ocean. However, this does not stop her or her family from throwing rubbish into the sea as they think that they are only throwing a little bit compared to whatever that is already there. Little did they know that the mentality is shared with many of their neighbors, creating the issue of Tragedy of the Commons.
The Tragedy of the Commons
Image 6.3 Simplified idea of the Tragedy of the Commons (Graphic Image by Fidelia Beatrice)
The Tragedy of the Commons is an economic concept about the use of a Common Pool of Resources. Each individual has an economic incentive to gain by consuming common pool resources. Since the common resource pool is large and individual has no economic incentive to limit their own use. When population and utilization reach high levels, resources are rapidly depleted and but it lacks incentives for any individual to stop because even if one person stops, someone else will take his place and it is not beneficial for him in any way either.
Similarly, the air and the sea are examples of common space for society. Indonesia is blessed with plenty of water body and this caused many to take the water body as being unlimited. Throwing rubbish into the water is very common as it helps to alleviate both monetary concerns and mental capacity. Less money is needed to deal with the rubbish at hand, and they do not have to think much about their rubbish. It disappears.
Image 6.4 Whale of Wakatobi and the plastic in it (Photo from WWF)
However, rubbish does not really disappear. The economic gain perceived by an individual is actually a loss to the society at large. The recent issue of a dead whale found in Wakatobi, Indonesia, is proof that although the garbage seems to “disappear”, it is never truly gone. We lost a whale and the 5.9 kg garbage found returns to us in the end.
