While on my usual commute I observed a young lady, perhaps about 15 years of age, drinking a soda. I thought nothing out of the ordinary until that after lowering her hand, the young lady proceeded to release the bottle from her grip and allow it to carelessly fall to the ground. This was a few steps from the nearest bin.

When some would say this is a benign act, we have garbage collection services for that, I see a fundamental problem. A problem which is often not realised until floodwaters turn our roads into rivers, and our yards and houses are affected.

Jamaica has a serious garbage disposal problem which needs to be addressed! There are several angles to approach this problem which may help to alleviate some of the problems before it is too late. The first suggestion is to increase the emphasis on the importance of proper waste disposal in our education curricula as well as via the various media outlets. I believe that, to a large extent, this littering problem is due to ignorance of the cumulative effects of our “benign littering” .

Public education is also a major key to addressing this issue, therefore a public campaign, especially in the Corporate Area, will help to curb this disgusting habit. I am aware of the “Nuh dutty up Jamaica” campaign; however, I am question its effectiveness, because I have not seen any improvement. A creative suggestion is to employ social media. Everybody and his granny has a social media account, we promote a cleaner Jamaica with various hashtags, videos, etc, as the case applies.

In addition to promoting proper disposal, we need to develop a culture and an attitude of reusing and recycling. This can literally save the country millions. Encourage citizens to use reusable items such as plastic containers and lunch bags which can be used daily and use silverware instead of plastic utensils. Old furniture, appliances, clothing, toys, etc, can be donated rather than disposed of. Everyday items, like paper bags, soda cans, milk cartons and various disposable plastics can be recycled. The Government should make it easier for the average Joe to recycle by providing recycling bins and, if necessary, a small incentive for recycling, whether it is monetary or otherwise.

Further, Government needs to get creative in this battle against garbage and littering. Items like the TetraBin turn garbage disposal into a game. It’s a pretty expensive investment, but long term it is cheaper than the cost to repair water damage. Export the garbage, yes, this is actually a thing! Countries like Sweden rely heavily on waste-to-energy plants, that is using garbage to generate power. This is also an investment worth considering for Jamaica. Simply exporting our garbage to countries like Sweden will create revenue and jobs.

Lastly, we need to create laws which govern littering and proper garbage disposal and encourage companies whose products often become litter to invest a portion of their revenue to waste management. We cannot ignore the fact that a significant portion of the solid waste pollution is, quite frankly, due to some people neglecting their civil responsibility to protect the environment. Many of the perpetrators will not change their ways unless they are punished by law. Authorities need to enforce a no litter policy to stop the culprits who maliciously contribute to some of the woes of other Jamaicans during periods of rainfall, etc. Moreover companies should contribute to the clean-up; after all, it will be a benefit to them as they will be able to retrieve more plastics which can be recycled and they will actively contribute to protecting the environment of Jamaica.

It is time we take our environment seriously; when we pollute and abuse our environment we are the ones that suffer. We are the ones who get flooded out. Our environment suffers when you drop that one bottle or bag. So please take care of the environment as it takes care of you.

plummero19@gmail.com