HON. GLYNIS ROBERTS
MINISTER OF THE ENVIRONMENT
In the spirit of the festive Carnival season, I bring you warm greetings from the Ministry of the Environment, Foreign Trade and Export Development.
I take this opportunity to welcome our brothers and sisters who are home for the holiday season and do wish you a splendid stay.
At this time of year, quite a lot comes to mind. Foremost is our Carnival celebrations.
There is one hot topic that comes up for discussion every carnival season that we can't shut our ears to, or perhaps more accurately, we can't close our eyes to, that is the issue of littering.
As Minister of the Environment, I see the need for my Ministry to play a critical supporting role in ensuring that the message of a clean and litter free environment is brought home to every Grenadian.
On the eve of our Carnival celebrations I caution against us letting our guard down during the carnival season and contributing to the practice of littering.
This week..July 29th to August 4th has been designated as Anti-Litter awareness week by the Grenada Solid Waste Management Authority. It is in that light and in the run up to our Carnival celebrations that I wish to issue these few reminders:
Walk with a bag, Look for a Bin, Dump in!
• Whatever you do or wherever you are, be conscious of the waste you generate and dispose of it in a manner which would not adversely affect the environment – Walk with a bag, Look for a Bin, Dump in
• Persons engaged in street vending are encouraged have bins or appropriate litter prevention plan in place to cater for the waste generated as a result of their operations.
• Organizers of public activities are also encouraged to have an appropriate waste management plan in place to prevent littering and arrange for prompt clean-up thereafter.
• I would also like us to think in terms of responsibility for our actions. I wish to urge those persons who would have received permission for the construction of temporary booths to have them removed the day after the conclusion of carnival. It makes good sense for the swift resumption of normal commercial activities after the celebrations and demonstrates our commitment towards the preservation of a clean and pristine environment.
• By tradition, we have been accustomed to seeing our beaches and the coastline outside of our towns littered with all types of waste such as rags, flags, utensils, cups, bottles etc. If we were not aware of it before, all such items contribute to our big litter problem and by extension, pollution. There is also the problem of washing off tar, paint and oil in rivers and on beaches, this is also considered a form of pollution and must be discouraged.
Now that we are aware... let's all help to make the difference between poor waste disposal habits and enjoying our festivals in a clean litter free environment.
Let us all be a part of the efforts in helping to curb the problem of litter. As far as waste disposal is concerned, let's act responsibly..... be a part of the solution, not the problem. Remember:
Walk with a bag, Look for a Bin, Dump in.
It is against this background that I now hereby declare Anti Litter Awareness Week open.
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