Farm marred by unsightly refuse

A St George farm manager, declaring he is fed up with illegal dumping at another St George plantation is adamant that it is time action is taken against it.

Wayne Ward, manager of Buttals Farm, said he was concerned about the serious challenges to farm management from illegal dumping. He suggested a focus on ramping up education campaigns to encourage the public to stop dumping.

At Jordans Plantation, large piles of household items including an old stainless steel fridge, beds and other items have been dumped by culprits whom Ward said he believes are familiar with the area.

When Barbados TODAY visited the farm-turned-dumping ground, there was evidence a dead dog was also recently dumped in the area right next to a watercourse.

Ward said: “As you can see by the areas that I have shown you, dumping is on the increase, and we are concerned that not only is it unsightly but it certainly impacts on the environment as well as people’s health. People dump things and you get mosquitoes and it’s an area then for rats to come and live.

“We don’t know what else is being dumped in there and whether it is something that will reach into our water resource. And we are appealing to people that if they see anybody doing it to take a number or inform authorities or even call us so that we can nip it in the bud.”

Recently dumped garbage has already been cleared from Jordans Plantation and the decision was made to block the cart road leading to it, the farm manager said.

But from the piles of unsightly garbage, it is evident that not even the large cane bins used to block the entry to the road was enough to deter those guilty of carrying out the illegal act from returning to the area.

“They have gone around the blocks and still continue dumping,” Ward told Barbados TODAY. “Obviously, it is somebody who knows the area. We have reported it to the environmental agency as well as the Sanitation Service Authority.”

But he noted that while the relevant government agencies will come and clear illegal dumpsites when summoned, the only way dumping will become an issue of the past is when all in society become involved in stamping it out.

He urged that social media be utilized to catch perpetrators and also spread the message that indiscriminate dumping is illegal, unsightly and harmful to the environment.

“We are on a small landmass and I would hope that we start from early with school children and let them know what the impact is of illegal dumping,” said Ward. “Start educating the young ones from now.”

SSA spokesman Carl “Alf” Padmore told Barbados TODAY that the SSA and Minister of Environment Adrian Forde are extremely concerned about illegal dumping and have been investing resources in the Clean and Green initiative.

Padmore said the ministry has also been working closely with the Attorney General’s office to strengthen legislation to hold people accountable for illicit dumping.

He also indicated that it was difficult to track illegal dumping on private land, including Jordans Plantation, and said that there was no longer a tipping fee at the landfill, where the garbage should be taken.

Padmore said: “When you look at the stuff presented in these photos you would witness that persons would have clearly hired someone to take bulky waste maybe to the landfill and the person has diverted and gone to these areas. The plantation owner has a right to be concerned and we are hoping that plantation owners around Barbados would put up surveillance cameras.

“We ask Barbadians to be vigilant and we have our hotlines that persons can call if they witness such acts. But what these acts would do especially during the rainy season is they would block drains, block gullies and therefore this can lead to flooding and of course it can lead to and create a breeding ground for mosquitoes.”

Padmore said members of the public who would have witnessed vehicles that may have been engaging in suspicious activities travelling through the Jordans Plantation corridor have indicated that they are afraid to give licence plate numbers. But he stressed that those who witness illegal dumping can give needed information to authorities anonymously.

He also noted that illegal dumping grounds prove to be an ugly sight for Barbadians and visitors who journey through these areas on hikes.

(anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb)