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."
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.
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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."
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Definitely 👍 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!"
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