Conservation of Volume in Waste

It is a long held thought in me: One problem in processing the waste of Hong Kong, and everywhere is that some wastes are simply too big to fit into rubbish bin. I remember in the heydays which there is only one type of rubbish bin, and people are putting every kind of waste from towel to radio to wooden box there. The problem is that, since there is only box to put all the waste, it is inevitable that some wastes occupy too much room for themselves, while leave little room for other. Moreover, the way people place waste in the rubbish bin does make a difference in the effective volume of the rubbish bin, since sometimes they place may place one waste in obstruction of the volume where other wastes may be placed. Therefore it may require education for the mass on how to place wastes into rubbish bin. Otherwise, it may accentuate the problem of inadequate space for placing the waste. That should be called ‘Volume Pollution’.

清潔工人勞力何價?

我經常看見商場的清潔工人竟然在人潮熙來纕往的時侯努力洗地,真不明白這些負責清潔的承包公司是怎麼想的?為什麼廁所的清潔工人可以關閉廁所來清潔,而商 場的清潔工人卻不可以?很簡單,因為關閉商場會影響商戶的生意,直接打擊商場產權擁有者的盈利;但是,關閉廁所只會令一部份光顧商場的客人不方便,不會直 接影響商戶的生意,更間接打擊商場產權擁有者的盈利。客人間竭性的生理需要,當然不及商場產權擁有者的盈利重要。對於商場產權擁有者來說,你只是其中一件 協助他們賺錢的物件,只要你肯繼續付錢消費,你的整體感覺並不重要。他們同時以為,商場的清潔其實並不重要,不過廁所不清潔,客人會留意到;但是地板應該 比較少人注意,所謂清潔,不外乎是做過樣子,去理實際清潔效果好不好是不切實際的,當然,就更加不會想因此而浪費的食水做成的反效果,因為如此的清潔方法 只會愈弄愈髒。就是為了爭分奪秒,多賺幾分鐘的錢,破壞不破壞環境,商場產權擁有者是不會去想的問題,商場產權擁有者的社會責任只是納稅。社會只要有錢自 然什麼問題可以解決?任何污染亦可以「還原」!
不過,話說回來,清潔工人亦不是沒有想到這一點,不過既然是資本家要求的,天下無不是的顧主,自己只要做過樣子是在「工作」,則薪金可袋袋平安。環境保護 是十分遙遠而抽象的問題,輪不到我去管去理,他/她當然想不到,因為資本家可以用金錢來減低破壞環境對自己的損害,就算是最差的情況亦可以一走了之,受傷 害最終是時薪不到二十元的清潔工人!
其實是不是可以每天只關閉商場半小時而清潔一次,以收事半功倍的效果,而且更讓顧客人感受商場不單單只關心他們的荷包呢?是不是長遠而言可以改善商場的環 境?是不是遠較抽獎和舉辦各種大型活動來得親切、自然?香港的資本家是不會如此想的,因為「現實」的香港人只有現在、現在和現在!