Trash in the park

    DURING the weekend I like to spend a few hours at the 15-km-long Shenzhen Bay Park that is becoming more and more popular among expatriates living in Shenzhen as a destination for leisure and outdoor activities. Shenzhen Bay Park is, with good reason, also one of the most famous attractions for tourists coming to Shenzhen from other parts of China and abroad.

    While the park is very well attended by hundreds of workers that keep it clean, not the same can be said for the water that is frequently very dirty with garbage floating meters away from people relaxing.

    To my expatriate friends this looks unbearable for a city that aims to be an international hub attracting talent from all over the world. The cleanness of the environment is probably the most important condition that foreigners are looking for, before they decide to move to a foreign city.

    With so many billions of yuan spent every year in infrastructure, it’s strange that the city government cannot find a way to recruit personnel and buy equipment to clean the most famous and attractive park in the city.

    It is also strange that I’ve never seen a law-enforcement officer fine the people who litter in the park.

    This behavior is not tolerated in any international city, and high fines are needed to control the people with a lack of respect for the environment.

    Marco Loglio via email