Cleanliness is Godliness.
There are two aspects of rules. One known as Yama and the other known as Niyama. Yama is Self-imposed while Niyama is imposed by another. Godliness is attained by following both. Yama is imposed by oneself, for the benefit of others & indirectly benefiting oneself. Niyama is for the benefit of us but imposed by other.
This is a Sanatana Dharma (eternal principle) and therefore applies not only to humans. In the context of cleanliness, let us see how the laws of nature follow the eternal principles of cleanliness. In the natural world, it may be also known as 'scavenging'. Therefore, the fundamental principle adopted here may be that, "a discard of one is a need of another'. In simple terms, it is similar to the popular concept of the food chain / cycle amongst the creatures - though, the said principle applies to non living as well. For example, the small stones falling off from the mountains reach the sea bed to help preserve the waters.
Cleanliness also follows this principle. What is unclean for one may not be unclean for someone else. Further, what was considered unclean earlier might not be unclean now. A mother has no issues / qualms in cleaning up her baby until the baby grows of age. Has the object that was unclean got impurified over time? A child wouldn't interact too closely with a new born as much as he would have, had the new born been another child of his or near his age. A small child eats even mud; while we won't, unless it is part of a medical treatment!.
Thus, is the mud unclean by itself? Then why is the house made of mud clean? (May substitute mud with cement if necessary).
Human faeces is eaten by dogs or pigs. Is the pig unclean? Pork (meat of pigs) is eaten by humans. Therefore it seems that cleanliness though a feeling, cannot be attained thru Yama alone, rather by following Niyama too.
Systemic Niyama can be achieved only by enforcing it subconsciously. How can we achieve that in the context of cleanliness? As mentioned above, if we can create a need for someone else, in the discard of some other, then recycling could become part of a system.
Scavenging is one of the best methods of nature's way of maintaining cleanliness. (Even rain is one form of scavenging. Haven't we noted that places that have enough rain are found to be much cleaner than there aren't).
In modern day world, plastic has become a menace. Recycling of plastic is the biggest problem facing humans and others alike. Developing countries like India that have huge population below poverty line, may be able to overcome by creating a need for some (especially the poor) in waste-plastic. Food being the primary need for the poor, and since plastic can't be had as it is, (though we do see cattle feeding on plastic sometimes) if plastic-waste could be turned to finance food, then there would be some relief. Hence if it be insisted that gold grains (say) be embedded in plastic of the bags and items made of plastic so as to improve the value of the plastic, then there is greater chance for the plastic to get recycled.
In essence, this means that subjects like cleanliness can gather dust unless the need for scavenging is not seminally enabled as an underlying principle.
There isn't any doubt that enforcement is one of the biggest problem faced by humanity as well as God almighty.
Sometimes, one might be also inclined to believe that untouchability in India might have been an outcome of extreme belief in cleanliness. The conscious cleanliness observed by the brahmins in temples in contrast to the unclean living standards of 'mlaechas' (mala+icha, meaning those who love to be in dirty environment) adds reason for such doubt. Though undoubtedly, it has been a cause for many wrongs committed to Indians as a whole, it also underlines that the sense of cleanliness was not brought in to India by the Moghuls or the British.
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