#BTEditorial – Littering and plastics still a major problem

The revelation by the Caribbean Youth Environmental Network (CYEN) that the bulk of plastic waste it collected from clean-up campaigns around the island came from areas most frequented by tourists, is a worrying disclosure.

Rhonda Ward, the Integrated management systems coordinator of Barbados Bottling Company, who is a part of CYEN, made the disclosure to members of the media, though it did not grab the public’s attention in the way such an important development should have garnered.

We suggest it also reflects an apparent diminishing concern for our physical environment.

The group said it collected some 10,000 pieces of plastic from south coast beaches. This was twice as many removed from collections on the east, north and west coasts of the island combined.

Though Ward chose not to ascribe blame to visitors to the island, we know that where the visitors congregate usually results in commercial activity occurring in those areas as locals hustle for precious income during these challenging times.

Over the past decade, Barbados has been leading the region in sensitising people to environmental concerns and the need to protect our natural spaces. Today, the emphasis appears to have shifted to climate change and sourcing finances to mitigate against its impact.

We are not suggesting that one is more important than the other. In fact, they are interrelated as they are the by- products of mankind’s economic and industrial development.

However, we sense that there has been a waning interest in the “unsexy” practices of consistently re-using and recycling.

It was not long ago when one could hardly find an empty plastic drink bottle or glass bottle on our streets because they were quickly snapped up by several collectors who could make quick cash from the empties.

“Through the beach clean-ups that were done this year and the data that was collected, we found that most of the trash and plastic bottles are being found on the South Coast. Not saying that this is the reason why, but certainly these are the areas that are heavily populated by the tourists,” Ward outlined.

Despite the statistics that indicate about 70 per cent of plastics are being recycled, the environmentalist reinforces our belief that we are sliding away from the progress we were making as a country to incentivize citizens to recycle.

Ward contended that “we probably need to look back at the strategy in how we collect bottles and try to put other measures in place to see if we can get that extra 20-something per cent” more of our plastics recycled.

The high level of plastic waste being collected from our beaches represents a cultural problem that we have been grappling with regarding waste disposal.

A casual examination of flood waters during the recent rains revealed an increasing level of plastic in our drains and on our streets.

Charlotte Prud’homme of the Walkers Institute for Regenerative Research, Education and Design added her voice to the issue, calling on Barbadians to simply stop littering. The increasing disrespect for our beaches and green spaces is also evident at the National Botanical Gardens in Waterford.

It is heart-breaking to see the beautiful green spaces, which are being developed and maintained at an undisclosed cost, being desecrated with fast-food boxes, plastic bottles and other pieces of garbage left behind by inconsiderate users of the facility.

As we have reiterated, behavioural change is necessary. Too many people are comfortable seeing others around them litter and are not prepared to intervene. In Barbados, there are few consequences for such bad behaviour and so, it continues.

The country has outlawed non-degradable plastic bags and plastic food containers but not enough is being done to address the culture of littering.

Plastics still abound in packaged items such as snacks and other products. The problem has not disappeared, and so educational programmes are still required in our schools and workplaces to address the issue.