THE TRULY HORRIBLE STATE of littering and poor garbage disposal practices of Barbadians were brought glaringly into focus when the spotlight shone on Bucks, St Thomas, last week.
There, a national disgrace was festering a stone’s throw from the Mangrove Pond landfill. A secondary dump had blossomed beyond control, much to the disgust of nearby residents.
Many were quick to blame the controversial tipping fee of $25 plus VAT which was introduced this year, but also acknowledged there was a national problem. Officials at the Sanitation Service Authority sent in the necessary equipment and manpower to clear the site.
Here is some reaction to the Bucks dumping site.
Clive Edwards: What a lovely sight to greet you on a lovely island!
WillieScrapes: “Illegal dumping has been going on long before the tipping fee . . . .” Why? To paraphrase the Scriptures: People do wrong because they do not receive punishment for it. Why wunna won’ lock up de illegal dumpers, doh?
Lloyd P. Gulston: This is a plain get-back-at-ya move with an appropriate excuse. How hard can it be to set up a sting operation to catch culprits engaging in this nastiness? Other countries do it. The media even do their own deep investigations to expose certain operations. Why do we just accept the inevitable?
Rosanna Lewis: We are going to blame any and everything now for the excuse that Bajans nasty as hell.
Thomas Katt: And the haulers will also say, not them. No one takes responsibility for their actions unless it’s in a good light. They always blame someone else. Check this Government which has been in office for almost eight years and still blaming the Opposition. I guess then it’s the vagrants and paros who put it there. Blame them.
Lynn Lucas: A bunch of nasty individuals who then pretend they care about this country. This is just the tip of the iceberg – cart roads and deserted areas all over the country are littered with waste. It has always been a problem but there is a marked increase since the imposition of the tipping fee. As part a regular hiking group, I’m embarrassed at the dirty state of this island.
If every citizen took responsibility and really cared about this country, we would be much better off. Sadly from the top to the bottom, we prefer to pass the buck and blame others.
Plug Man Plug Man: It is time they get some island constables to patrol from Hangman’s Hill to that area and let them take down the numbers of these trucks. Better yet, give them cameras and start putting a fine on these truckers.
Suzanne B-Small: I live in Bucks and since that tipping fee was introduced, I’ve [seen] men dump dryers, washing machines, most recently a wardrobe on the road in clear view. They just stop and dump it there. They also dump things straight into the gullies. Do you think they care?
Sherrylyn Toppin is the nation’s online Editor.