Does litter have to be ugly?

In my research, I came across a post by Karen Kingston titled “Litter in Bali.” In it, she discusses how the native people in Bali do not see litter as something disgusting to be concerned about. Instead, she says, “for the Balinese, who are much more etherically based, they see litter as pleasing to the eye, adding colour and variety of texture. Blissfully uneducated to the health risks of litter, they happily live with it, considering it an enhancement of the environment rather than an eyesore.”

While the sweeping assumption concerns me a bit, the idea here is intriguing. Does litter have to be ugly? Why does it bother us to see a black, paved street “decorated” with a bright red plastic cup? And can (or should) we change our outlook so that litter is pretty?

Of course, I cannot forget the environmental concerns behind litter. But this shift in attitude can make the dirtiness of New York’s streets a bit easier to bear.