06/08/2026
I Was Never Thrown Away
Hello.
I'm just a plastic bottle.
I was born in a factory. Filled with water. Packed into a truck. Placed on a supermarket shelf.
One day, a student picked me up. I travelled in a school bag, sat through a lesson, and quenched a thirst in just a few minutes.
Then came the moment everyone talks about.
"I threw the bottle away."
Away?
That's funny.
Because I never went away.
Maybe I was buried beneath layers of rubbish in a landfill.
Maybe I drifted through a drain into a river.
Maybe I floated across the ocean until I broke into tiny pieces.
Maybe I became microplastics that entered the food chain.
Maybe I was burned, releasing gases into the air.
But one thing is certain...
I never disappeared.
Humans have invented many amazing things.
An "away" for rubbish is not one of them.
The next time you say, "Just throw it away," remember:
There is no "away." There is only somewhere else on the same planet we all call home.
🌿 Every choice we make has a destination. Let's make it a better one.
Raihana Makarim
Environmental pioneer
2024 batch