'I’ve just thrown the trash out. A large plastic bag filled with used nappies, baby napkins, food remains, and many other ‘necessary’ things of convenience. The bag I threw away fell on top of countless other plastic bags, carton boxes and old household appliances. And I felt like crying.

Truth to be told, I used to cry over environmental issues a lot but not nearly as much in recent years. But facing a large bin located in front of a family-friendly housing complex in a wealthy developed nation; I couldn’t help but think:  This trash is so mixed; it’s never going to get recycled. Even if it were, this would be a drop in the ocean. It is going to get shipped away to Indonesia or Turkey and children my niece’s age are going to swim in our trash.

We have to act now to curb our need to excess (be it consumption or overpopulation) for us, for the planet and for our and other people’s children.'