Editor: It was disgusting to go to the beach, Salt Pond Beach, last Monday and meet 23 styrofoam used bowls and their styrofoam covers, countless plastic forks and plastic glasses scattered all over the place; add to that emptied rum bottles, broken beer bottles, plastic bottles, countless snack bags, plus items washed away by the sea.

If picnicking parties don’t pick up after themselves, who else will do it? Ask yourself the question. There is no one paid for that. Because of fumes sent in the air, it is bad for health to burn plastics. In an effort to become a more conscious community and to keep public places welcoming, it is everybody’s job to pick up, especially on beaches which are favourite spots.

Let us declare a ‘WAR ON PLASTIC’!

A change is possible, even with the long-term careless habits of many. Let us take home empties, plastics and other items, so that the next parties will enjoy the beach front as well and meet it clean and welcoming! And let us refrain from throwing plastic and other items in the sea which damage marine life and kill the fish which swallow pieces of them.

Let us make it our personal responsibility to bring garbage bags and pick up after ourselves, because the planet suffers from our carelessness, so do we. There is no garbage pick-up in Salt Pond Beach; the garbage truck doesn’t drive right down to the beach, due to bad road conditions. And no garbage bin; the Government needs to change that situation soon. It is also the closest swimmable beach close to Argyle Airport, opening just now.

A few tips to reduce garbage, especially plastics and protect the environment:

o On the beach, take ALL your picnic items back home

o TREES: Do NOT build fires next to a tree, therefore burning and killing well needed trees for shade and securing stability of sand on beaches; Salt Pond Beach has lost a lot of grown trees due to careless gestures; well worth a security guard

o Recycle clean plastic bottles and bring them to Campden Park for refund of plastic, $175/a pound: All Island Company, tel. 453.4150, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. N.B.: separate and rinse all covers of juice bottles; put clear ones in a bag, coloured ones in separate bags, all sizes

o Grocery shopping: Reuse grocery bags; buy some sturdy ones for long-term use; refuse grocery bags for single items

o For the devoted ones: always bring some grocery bags to the beach or in the countryside and pick-up other people’s garbage, empty plastic bottles, especially

o THANK YOU!

Cecile Comblein