Emporium Blog

I have seen one and I have seen one too many. Drivers who smoke while driving will often flick the cigarette butt out of the car when done. Maybe it is out of convenience, may be it is just the wind. Having a bad habit like smoking is bad enough, add another simply throw rubbish habit and you have the nasty drivers who smoke. To add to insult, it is not illegal in Malaysia to smoke or eat while driving.

I have seen many types of rubbish being thrown out of a moving car. Tissue papers, unwanted bits of papers and wrappers, packets of drinks, plastic bags and tins, rambutan peels, glass bottle from obviously drunk drivers who throw just to break it and you just name it objects. I would not be surprised if someone were to throw some durian skins out of the car during this durian season.

Malaysians still have the “as long as it is not on my turf” mentality when it comes to throwing rubbish. Even neighbours will conveniently sweep rubbish to the house next door given the chance. This I can attest to. I do not smoke and no one in my household eats sweets or junk food. Somehow cigarette butts, junk food plastic bags and sweets wrappers will conveniently appear in front of my apartment’s doorway every evening. Maybe it is out of convenient, maybe it is the wind.

Those who want to see the ultimate in rubbish throwing frenzy has to visit the night market also known as “pasar malam” when they are done for the night. Truckloads of rubbish are strewn all over the street where the night market operates. There is no proper recycling effort. Organic and non organic matters are treated the same. Drains and waterways are full of them and the rain often gets the blame when floods happen.