IT IS TIME dat a compulsory recycling programme or system is put in place in Barbados tuh stop all the different types o’ containers dat people pelt way from ending up in the garbage and causing a whole lot o’ stress tuh the people at the Sanitation Department and at the landfill.
I sat down in my living room one night a li’l while back and was really taken aback by a programme dat was coming on. I was amazed at what they were saying about the amount o’ things dat people put out in the garbage evah single day rather than bringing dem tuh this recycling plant.
Tuh be honest wid you, I didn’t hear the programme from the beginning so I wasn’t able tuh get all the information but the other day a few o’ my sisters decided dat they had too many bottles round their place and one o’ dem knew of the recycling plant up there in St Thomas.
So, I took the opportunity tuh scrape together all the plastic containers, glass and evahthing else dat I was about tuh throw out in the garbage, including the bleach and fabric softener bottles. I put dem in a large garbage bag and a couple o’ boxes and headed up tuh the recycling place in St Thomas.
I ain’t gine lie tuh ya, I was in shock. Ting, I could not believe my eyes when I see the amount o’ people when I got there. All sorts o’ people wid all sorts o’ containers in plastic, glass and evahthing else was coming and going all the time. At one time I saw one o’ dem white flatbed trucks pull up and a couple o’ fellas offloaded at least 20 or so vehicle batteries. I was tempted tuh ask one o’ the fellas where he get all o’ dem batteries from?
Look, while I was standing up at dat door waiting my turn and watching the people as they came and went, I had tuh say dat we in Barbados really have tuh be educated ’bout this recycling business. You know how many things we put in the garbage dat go up there and choke up the dump?
You know how many things we throw ’way every day dat we could be getting a dollar bill offa? You know dat because we doan recycle, how many unnecessary problems we does be causing weselves all the time?
But we in Barbados is we own worst enemies, I tell ya.
As I does always say, we Bajans like tuh copy evahthing from the United States but we does end up copying the wrong things all the time. A brother o’ mine tell me when I was reading back this column tuh him, that we in Barbados earning the European dollar but turning ’round and spen’ning um pon evahthing the Americans throw way. Howevah, in this um ain’t so.
All I could say is dat recycling is one o’ the things dat we in Barbados should definitely copy. Look, whenevah I go up tuh the States by one o’ my brothers, I used tuh always see him wid three garbage cans outside his door; one fuh the plastics, one fuh the glass and the other one fuh the regular garbage.
Ya does got tuh tie up all the old newspapers in a neat, neat bundle fuh the people tuh pick up, otherwise um ain’t getting pick up and ya gine even get a stiff fine fuh non-compliance. So why we cahn do something like dat too?
But then, when ya say A, ya does have tuh say B. Ya see some o’ we Bajans could be very lazy and tuh do something like sorting out ya own trash even if it means a healthier Barbados, some o’ we would still think hard tuh do it.
But I pray dat this Government would see it necessary tuh introduce and implement this recycling system as soon as possible.
But before I go off this, I would like tuh offer my deepest sympathy tuh the singing Leacock family who lost one o’ their brothers, Ricardo, recently after a short illness at the hospital. I remember him wid dat sweet voice from the Checkmates and the Dynamics back in the day.
I also extend my sympathy tuh the family of Eric Sealy who I heard wasn’t well for a number o’ years but who I know spent his life wid his hand in actually evahthing, including politics, entertainment, boxing, and all other kinds o’ activities dat promoted Barbados.
Mavis Beckles was born and raised in The Orleans. She has an opinion on everything.
