Littering is a societal issue.

These are the sentiments of Health Minister Dr Neil Sharma who launched the Healthy City Initiative which is part of the World Health Organisation=s efforts in getting 600 plus cities to keep their cities clean and healthy.

Sharma said littering is a big problem worldwide and while clean up campaigns and initiatives do help, the place one needs to start from is the home.

He said parents need to teach their kids to put litter in the right place, to not buy snacks or food and chuck their rubbish out the window of a vehicle.

Sharma said parents need to lead by example and with responsibility and as a result their children will do the same and the practice will continue from one generation to the next.

He said once children know this, it should be re-enforced in schools and thus into their adult life.

Suva is the first city in the world to launch the Healthy City initiative which will eventually see stakeholders ensuring a clean, safe and healthy environment all around.