MINISTER of Local Government and Community Development Desmond McKenzie has issued a warning to “litter bugs” that new regulations are coming with increased fines for littering.

“I am putting the country on notice that we are coming for the litterbugs. We want a cleaner, a safer and a healthier Jamaica,” the minister told last Friday’s launch of the annual Workers Week/Labour Day programme.

The programme celebrates the contribution of workers to the nation-building and recognises their role in its economic and social development.

McKenzie said that it is important that his ministry concentrate its efforts on having a clean environment, “because a clean environment contribute to a clean and healthy society, and the growth agenda of this Government necessitate that we have a clean environment”.

“For too long we continue to see people disposing of their waste in a manner not conducive with our public health regulations and laws. I would just like to use this opportunity to advise the nation that I am now in receipt of new proposals to look at increasing the fines for littering across the country,” he said.

“We have to send a strong message to Jamaicans that we ought to get serious about littering,” McKenzie said.

He noted that the anti-litter legislation is not aimed at raising revenue, but is to make citizens aware that it is costing the National Solid Waste Management Authority in excess of $1.5 billion yearly to provide garbage collection and disposal services for Jamaicans.

“Right now the agency is under severe pressure because of lack of equipment. But the job of the agency could be far less stressful if Jamaicans would buy into and do what is necessary,” he added.

He said the Ministry of Local Government’s commitment to the Workers Week/Labour Day programme started with Prime Minister Andrew Holness’s mandate to undertake an intense clean-up of Jamaica, which was started in St James two weeks ago and will continue across the country

Minister of Culture, Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange confirmed that Labour Day 2016 falls on Monday, May 23 this year, and that in keeping with a practice established in 2008, Workers Week will begin on May 15 and culminate on Labour Day.

She said that her ministry, which hosts the Labour Day secretariat, will collaborate with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, and the Ministry of Health to share responsibility for the programme of activities for both Workers Week and Labour Day this year.