Stiffer penalties needed for anti-litter act breaches

CHAIRMAN OF the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), Godfrey Dyer, wants stiffer penalties to be meted out to persons found guilty of breaching the anti-litter act.

Speaking recently at the National Solid Waste Management Authority's (NSWMA) third annual Clean Schools competition final at the Wexford Hotel in Montego Bay, Dyer said authorities have allowed major breaches of the act to go unpunished, and that practice must stop immediately.

"Too often, when travelling on our roads, people are seen tossing garbage from their vehicles and nothing is done about it. The time has come for the NSWMA, the Municipal Police and civil society to take a stand against this practice. These offenders must be brought to book and be made to feel the full force of the law under the anti-litter act."

The TEF chairman said, "As a country, we need to start showing pride in the things we do, and if making examples out of people who break the anti-litter act is the way to get everyone's attention, then the authorities must start acting in that manner."

developing leaders

Meanwhile, Dyer, in commending the NSWMA and the Bank of Nova Scotia, which is a major sponsor, for staging the competition, said, "An anti-litter campaign staged among the youths of the nation is the best way to go in ensuring that the next generation of leaders develop a sense of civic pride. I am sure that based on the response from the students who took part in this competition we will be seeing a major change in the behaviour of our people."

He added: "Our young people have been blamed for a number of ills in our society, including littering. However, it is good that the NSWMA, which is the agency mandated to improve and implement the country's solid waste management programme, has realised that it will take much more than infrastructural and capital development to achieve their goal."

Dyer noted that addressing littering and illegal dumping will require sustained efforts, which promote behaviour change in our citizens as it relates to proper solid waste disposal.

"The Clean Schools competition, which is now in its fourth year, is a good response to this challenge, as it seeks to highlight and address these problems by encouraging students to be more aware of their surroundings and to practise safe waste management."