#BTEditorial – So we cleanin’. About time.

At the height of the holidays, Barbados has finally got the Christmas gift it really needs — the declaration of a massive, all-out, cleanup campaign.

Yes, we admit, there has been much talk about this but hopefully this time the message resounded from St Lucy to Christ Church – We cleanin’ before We Gatherin’.

There is no denying that Barbados has become filthy — a state of affairs that is simply unacceptable. There is too much evidence that we have lost respect for our environment and quite frankly, we didn’t need our Prime Minister to declare it.

It’s all around us — on the streets, beaches, gullies, our backyards- styrofoam containers, boxes, plastic bags, wrappers and trash of every kind. There’s the pile-up of derelict vehicles, boats, fridges, stoves, beds, carelessly disposed of.  Overgrown lots, bush, bush everywhere.

Equally, we can point fingers at the overflowing receptacles that line neighbourhoods because pickups from the Sanitation Service Authority are few and far between.  We hope the expected garbage trucks will bring an end to this mess.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Mia Mottley declared enough was enough.

She said: “ I spoke to the country politely on Independence Day…The country needed to clean up.

“It is clear that polite talk does not work and that I need to be direct in my talk. Barbados needs a clean Christmas, Barbados needs a clean 2020. Barbados needs to be clean — full stop – forever on.

“The Government will play its part, but everybody in the country has to play theirs too.”

Her call to action should renew our quests for a cleaner and healthier environment and while we prepare to get busy let’s dump the political claptrap.

It doesn’t matter who says it; cleaning up is really our civic duty — the patriotic and decent thing to do.

A clean Barbados is important for many reasons… but really it’s to our benefit, in the best interest of our children and grandchildren to have an environment where garbage and debris are not fuelling mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue.  Garbage attracts flies, rodents and other pests that spread disease.

There’s really no reason for citizens not to get on board and we urge local influencers to help engage community members about the environment. We point to churches, schools, youth groups and non-governmental organisations among the groups that can help to promote the reduction, reuse and recycling of waste at home, in the workplace, and in schools so that less strain is placed on our scarce resources.

But more so, beyond the call to clean up, we support the Government’s declared intention to make those who are not willing to carry their fair share of the burden to pay.

Prime Minister Mottley said offenders would be ticketed just a little bit more than the cost of hiring someone to clean.

Let it not be a threat or another toothless law. Laws against illegal dumping have been in place and yet we see too many occasions where there is rampant dumping and no one is brought to account.

Furthermore, we say that yesterday’s revelation from Minister of the Environment Trevor Prescod that laws will soon be coming that makes it mandatory for households and businesses to separate their garbage at source are equally critical.

Recycling is the first step in efficient solid-waste management and therefore Government should devise a plan and educate householders and businesses on how they can separate their garbage.

We are however mindful, that all these plans won’t work until all Barbadians wake up to the fact that it is our responsibility to take care of our lovely island home, manage our waste, and reduce, reuse and recycle for a better Barbados.