Forde makes appeal for end to illegal dumping

Minister of the Environment and National Beautification Adrian Forde has called on Barbadians to take personal responsibility for ending illegal dumping, saying that is the only way the perpetual problem will be solved once and for all.

He made the appeal as he lamented that despite the best efforts of his Ministry and other stakeholders, illegal dumping across the island remains a concern.

“To Barbados, the buck has to stop at you…. The Sanitation [Service Authority] has invested in over 35 pieces of equipment, over 30 trucks, since 2018, to ensure there is weekly [collection] at the household level. We have started the Residential Waste Improvement Project that sees the optimization of routes with lifters so that the occupational hazards for [workers] would become a thing of the past,” he said last Friday at the launch of the Clean and Green Campaign at Baywoods Community Centre, where a new recreational area was being created for residents.

“We have ensured that there are avenues for bulk waste collection like what you are seeing here in Baywoods…. We are doing everything in our power. It is for Barbadians to stop putting the old fridges in the gullies and destroying the ecosystem. I am saying today that it must speak to the consciousness of who we are that will cause this change.”

In addition to trying to use moral suasion to impress on residents the need to protect the environment by not dumping, Forde reiterated that the law would deal with those who continued the illegal practice.

He said those found to be engaging in such activities will feel the full weight of the law, as the Ministry continues to work with the police to bring offenders to justice.

“I want to tell all of those involved in law enforcement in Barbados, they have my unbridled, unequivocal and relentless support in pursuing justice when we have to deal with cases of illegal dumping. That is as far as it goes for me because the law will take care of those who act against the law,” he said.

The Environment Minister also briefly addressed the concern about homeless persons accumulating large amounts of garbage in parts of Bridgetown.

He acknowledged that the problem went beyond illegal dumping.

“This is a mental health issue, it is a social issue, it’s an issue that involves active players in a variety of ministries [like] the Ministry of Health, because we are dealing with mentally challenged individuals, of course, and they are not operating as a normal person would,” he said.

“They are taking the garbage and they are putting [it] around the Treasury Building and the garbage is infused with faeces and urine and all sorts of things and it makes it very cumbersome for the Sanitation workers to remove that garbage. This is a problem that we have engaged the other social services ministries, the other agencies, [The Barbados Alliance to End Homelessness]. Those persons have been brought to the table to see how best we can alleviate this situation,” he added. (SB)