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KT for good: Don't leave massage cards on the streets in Dubai

Dubai - Cleaners pick up nearly 100,000 massage cards daily from Barsha and Barsha Heights in Dubai.

One of the worst kinds of littering in Dubai is, possibly, the massage card menace that has plagued many parts of the emirate for several years.
Not only are they incredibly inappropriate because of the obscene photos of women on them, they also create a terrible littering problem. In a city that's known for its luxury and top-class hospitality, these cheap acts are dirtying the streets and neighbourhoods.
Communities such as Barsha Heights and International City are some of the worst-hit areas, as sneaky men leave them on residents' cars and on the ground. Some even leave them on the doorsteps of apartments.
Khaleej Times has previously reported that cleaners pick up nearly 100,000 massage cards daily from Barsha and Barsha Heights, collectively.
"It's a disgrace. These cards are creating a littering problem and they also have very inappropriate pictures on them. It's not right, especially if you have children. They see these kinds of cards on the ground, littered everywhere, and it gives them a very bad message," said Dubai resident Joe Mangaco, who's fed up of seeing massage cards stuck to his car window and littered across streets.
"If anyone is visiting Dubai, they don't expect to come across these kinds of cards. When you think 'Dubai', you imagine tall skyscrapers, clean streets, luxury and lots of culture. Then, there's the question of how much damage these cards are doing to the environment - do they get recycled, where do they go after they're picked up?"
Another resident, Corina Zidaru, said Dubai is "one of the cleanest" city she's ever lived in, but the massage card littering is causing a real problem.
"I've been in Dubai for six years now and, to be honest, every time we park our car anywhere on the street, the same thing happens. People come around and put those massage cards. It's not really the most amazing thing," she said.
"The saddest thing is that it's causing pollution to these beautiful streets. This is the cleanest city I've lived in. I lived in Romania as well and it wasn't so clean, unfortunately. But, I think, we can work together. You should try to stop the person who's doing this."
The distribution of these massage cards is illegal and the people doing it can be prosecuted. They face a fine, jail or deportation.
Rightfully, it makes residents very angry to see their cars and their city littered with these dodgy cards. But, does that make it acceptable to throw them on the ground and walk away?
KT has reported previously that there is a Dh500 fine for those who litter - and that includes throwing these cards on the ground.
So, who's putting an end to stopping these cards from even appearing in the first place? Authorities have arrested several massage card distributors in the past.
In 2018, one was arrested for assaulting a cop. In a separate case, seven women were nabbed for offering illegal massage services. In 2017, two men were arrested after attempting to run away when they got caught distributing these cards.
Even though the problem still exists, let's not sink down to these offenders' level and discard the cards into a proper waste bin.
Things you may not know
>You can be fined Dh500 for throwing massage cards on the ground
>Massage cards are illegal and distributors can be prosecuted
>Nearly 100,000 cards are picked up daily by cleaners in Barsha and Barsha Heights
>Majority of centres advertised in the cards are illegal
Our #PickThatTrash challenge is heating up!
Since the 'Bin It' KT For Good Campaign started, we have challenged residents to fight littering and share their experiences with us on social media, using the hashtags #Binit and #PickThatTrash. All you have to do is dispose of trash you find in public spaces the right way - just like what these schoolkids did.
This week, 60 students from Kings' School Dubai took part in the #PickThatTrash challenge. They picked up 29 trays of cigarette butts that were littered across a Dubai beach.
Azraq, a marine conservation group, assisted them in the clean-up drive. The organisation tweeted: "Back again today for another round of awareness initiatives with Kings' School students, focusing on marine debris and more importantly the impacts of cigarette butts on the marine environment. Let's see how we go! #fortheoceans #buttsstink #binit #ktfoorgood #pickthattrash".
They also tweeted a photo of the kids and the trash they had collected. The tweet said: "Kings' School students show all the cigarette butts they collected today.
#buttsstink
#azraq
fortheoceans
#binit
#ktforgood
#pickthattrash".
Project Clean Environment, an environmental group in UAE, also used the #KtForGood, #PickThatTrash and #BinIt hashtags on Instagram for their recent cleanup drive.
"This morning we have all gathered in the industrial area of Sharjah, an empty place, a truck parking lot and extremely, heavily, littered," they said in an Insta post.
sarwat@khaleejtimes.com