A cleaner Barbados, a shared responsibility

The government has announced it will begin enforcing the Health Services (Amendment) Act from November 1.

Originally passed in the House of Assembly on January 28 and in the Senate on April 23, the Act is another step in the country’s ongoing effort to beautify Barbados, protect public health, and strengthen community responsibility by removing the long-standing barriers to progress.

One such barrier is a familiar sight across the island: abandoned cars. For years, these derelict vehicles have created breeding grounds for rats, mosquitoes, and other pests — posing serious risks to public health. The same holds true for abandoned buildings and overgrown lots, both of which have been the focus of growing public concern.

The government has already taken several measures to address these issues, including a derelict vehicle removal programme, the introduction of shared-use mechanic facilities, and billing landowners for cleaning neglected properties.

Ronald Chapman, project lead for the rollout of the programme, explained while previous clean-up initiatives achieved some success, they faced challenges in recouping costs.

“In the past the Ministry of Health . . .would go out, they would clean the lots and they would send the bills to the owners,” he said. “In some cases, they would recoup the money, in some cases they did not recoup the money for whatever reason, and this legislation does a number of things.

“One, it speeds up the process of having to deal with overgrown vegetation, and it puts a provision in there for the recouping of money, and I think Barbadians are probably more interested in the speeding up because in the past the legislation made provision for the health officers to give a number of different times in terms of cooperation.”

Under the new law, property owners found with overgrown lots will have 21 days to clear their land after being notified. Failure to do so will result in an administrative penalty of $300, plus $10 for each additional day the violation continues.

At a press briefing held on Monday at the Ministry of the Environment offices in Warrens Tower II, Minister of Environment Adrian Forde underscored the national significance of this legislation.

He said: “I want Barbados to come on board because we cannot have the most beautiful island in the Western Hemisphere, unless we equally have all of Barbados working together to achieve this clean and green philosophy.”
He added: “I cannot imagine how a person who is enjoying the rustic beauty of St. Andrew, has a land plot in Christ Church [or] St Philip, but [is] only interested in the area in which they live. This is not good enough. This is not being responsible.

“We are asking Barbadians to be responsible citizens, and it’s unfortunate the government had to legislate this because we believe that this must be imbued in all of us as a patriotic sense of duty.”

Forde’s appeal is as much moral as it is practical. He is asking Barbadians not only to live for themselves, but for each other — a reminder that individual action alone cannot always solve collective problems.

Consider littering. A single person who disposes of their garbage responsibly may still suffer the consequences of someone else’s neglect, through flash flooding or blocked drains. Likewise, a St Philip resident who diligently maintains their yard to prevent mosquito breeding may still face health risks because a neighbouring property remains overgrown and unkempt.

The Health Services (Amendment) Act is therefore more than just an administrative update. It’s a call to community action — a recognition that public health, cleanliness, and national pride are intertwined.

These new rules aim to preserve Barbados’ beauty and safeguard its people. But perhaps their most meaningful outcome will be the spirit they inspire: a renewed sense of shared duty, where Barbadians care not only for our own surroundings, but for the island we all call home.