Littering – a menace to society in SVG

EDITOR: Litterbugs are rampant in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. These bugs are taking over the country, and their mission is to destroy the environment. Driving or walking through the various communities in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the evidence of littering is staring you right in the face.

Have a look at the beaches and the rivers, have a look in the streets and the gutters, have a look at private and crown lands and the signs of littering is out of control. Littering is a habitat for rats, flies, mosquitoes, and cockroaches. It destroys the aesthetic beauty of the environment, and has the potential to harm our tourism product. Tourists are not coming to St. Vincent and the Grenadines to visit ‘garbage’. They are coming to enjoy the natural beauty of the country.

I have seen in Kingstown and other communities, littering is occurring in close proximity to garbage bins. The relevant authorities need to take littering very seriously. I would strongly recommend the execution of the Litter Act. Why are the relevant authorities not enforcing the Litter Act? Are we a nation of having laws on paper and not enforcing them? Hot spots where littering is frequent, I would also recommend the usage of cameras to catch the perpetrator or perpetrators.

If we don’t take care of our environment, who will?

Kimani Wiseman