• Outdoors Outdoors

Passerby shares photo of upsetting discovery in local nature area: 'It's painful to see'

"Horrible."

"Horrible."

Photo Credit: Reddit

This beautiful view was ruined by litter.

A resident of Pune, India, was disheartened to find a stunning scenic spot turned into a dumping ground. They shared their frustration with other locals in r/Pune, saying, "People are turning nature spots into garbage dumps."

Photo Credit: Reddit

The grassy hillside is covered in trash, from shopping bags to plastic cups to clothing. The Redditor's images show an unbelievable amount of waste, especially Veeba products, suggesting that they were dumped by a grocery store or the sauce and condiment company itself.

India is the world's largest contributor to plastic pollution, "accounting for nearly 20% of total global plastic waste," per Plastics for Change. Most of that waste is incinerated, spewing planet-warming gases such as carbon dioxide into the air. Untreated waste sits in landfills, leaching toxins into soil and releasing gases into the air.

Plastic will never fully decompose. Instead, it breaks into smaller pieces, known as microplastics, that can easily invade soil, waterways, and our bodies.

Recycling plastic is a big part of reducing plastic pollution, but the long-term solution is shifting away from single-use plastics entirely.

FROM OUR PARTNER

Get cost-effective air conditioning in less than an hour without expensive electrical work

The Merino Mono is a heating and cooling system designed for the rooms traditional HVAC can't reach. The streamlined design eliminates clunky outdoor units, installs in under an hour, and plugs into a standard 120V outlet — no expensive electrical upgrades required.

And while a traditional “mini-split” system can get pricey fast, the Merino Mono comes with a flat-rate price — with hardware and professional installation included.

As consumers become more conscious of their carbon footprints, researchers and companies are working to develop easier methods to recycle plastics and ways to ditch them altogether

Skip out on plastic products. Invest in a stainless steel water bottle, glass food containers, and fabric grocery bags.

Commenters were disappointed to see how much trash was left behind.

"Needs more traction," one wrote. "Upvoting this. Hopefully some journalists lurking here should pick up this story."

Do you think our power grid needs to be upgraded?

Definitely 👍

Only in some states ☝️

Not really 👎

I'm not sure 🤷

Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

A Redditor who recently moved to Pune remarked: "It's painful to see garbage everywhere. No government alone can fix this. A better India starts with us. Civic sense, like keeping our surroundings clean, has to come from within."

"What a horrible contrast," a third user said. "Look at that beautiful cloud!"

Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.

Cool Divider