The Scourge of Litter and Burning Plastic

Just came back from a week on the cliffs. I was hoping to run into Brasi and Gerry but it didn't happen, although we were in the same neighborhood.
Something I noticed is the increasing scourge of litter on the island, mainly plastic bottles. Another troubling development is that the plastic is often burned with other rubbish releasing toxic fumes into the air. You can't mistake the smell of burning PVC. I have gently mentioned to some people how dangerous a thing it is to burn plastic and breathe these fumes. If you can smell it, you are breathing it.
The government should insist on container manufacturers setting up viable recycling programs for the plastic, or institute a deposit system on the plastic containers. (if they can do it for glass bottles, they can do it for plastic too).
The countryside is getting more heavily littered, and the toxic fumes from burning plastic will take its toll on human health in time.

As someone living here, I've found the situation has actually improved...I find that there's less burning going on...thankfully children are being taught in school the dangers of burning all forms of garbage and especially plastics.
Just like the US (Woodsy Owl character - Give a hoot don't pollute) and Canadian campaigns we had growing up, the children are being educated and in turn they are educating the adults.
There have been several recycling projects in Negril...but they've not YET been sustainable. Change takes time...and the recycling WILL happen...we now have regular garbage pickup which Negril didn't have 10 years ago.

i remember when box food was served in a paper box - not everlasting styrofoam <sigh>

Sunray, this is nothing new, sadly. Still - I have been living in Negril part-time for the past 10 years, traveling here for 30 and I have found that the litter situation on the West End has been improving steadily over the years. In our neighborhood there is much less trash being burned year to year. Still - it does happen....especially in the outlying areas. Sunday seems to be a popular day, lol. We were riding back through Mango Hall/Orange Hill, etc. one Sunday and there were trash burns it seems in every other yard back there. We dubbed it the "Burning Sh*t Sunday".

Seriously though - old habits die hard. When I first started coming to Jamaica and for years still you couldn't get a drink in a plastic bottle and a box meal was in a cardboard box. The bottles were worth money and turned in - and the box left on the ground to disintegrate.

In more recent years everything is in bottles and the box meals came in styrofoam boxes. If all one ever knew was to throw their trash on the ground, that's what they did. Plastic bottles aren't worth money so they are trash. Styrofoam does not disintegrate. And its all trash so it gets burned.

Pepsi has dumped a lot of money into the island - hey, it's Pepsi Rebel Salute now - but I sure wish they would do something about their plastic bottles. Dump some money into a recycle/reuse/manufacturing operation. On the upside I'm seeing lots of stores, bars and restaurants are now carrying Pepsi and other soft drinks in glass bottles again - so when I order one, I request they give me the glass bottle. The soda actually does taste better!

Each one teach one - its going to end up being a generational thing. I find the kids I know are pretty aware of environmental pollution. They don't throw their trash on the ground, they are concious about that. When you think that 50 years ago it was common place to chuck a bottle out of a moving car window in the states - there is hope.

when you by the soda you buy the plastic bottle it comes in , how bout everyone throw the plastic bottle in the trash and not on the ground, there are not enough rubbish barrel's,, having rubbish barrel's handy would help a great deal , cheap way to fix a big problem,,,MORE RUBBISH BARREL'S

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Originally Posted by danap

when you by the soda you buy the plastic bottle it comes in , how bout everyone throw the plastic bottle in the trash and not on the ground, there are not enough rubbish barrel's,, having rubbish barrel's handy would help a great deal , cheap way to fix a big problem,,,MORE RUBBISH BARREL'S

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You need more than just more rubbish barrels, you also need the trash collection services to empty the barrels. As Bnewb pointed out, there was no trash pickup at all in Negril 10 years ago, so things are moving in the correct direction. As the trash collections become more regular and with less interruptions, I am sure you will be seeing more trash barrels around for people to use...

good to here rob ,, no rubbish barrle's have always been a big problem for me , i agree you have to empty the barrel once it is full

You have to have a child educate and adult about picking up..common sense?

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Originally Posted by rasta ronnie

You have to have a child educate and adult about picking up..common sense?

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Just as common sense as in North America...where we had to have programs implemented to prevent littering?!!
Woodsy Owl certainly wasn't geared towards the adults in the US.
Tough to teach an old dog new tricks...teach children better habits before they learn our poor, old habits!

I recently heard a report on a radio show about garbage in a town on the East coast of Mexico. They said they continually clean the beach and coast and the garbage keeps coming. From the bottles they can tell that this litter is coming from Jamaica and other Carribean countries. I guess that is the direction the currents flow. This litter effects more then just Jamaica.

It also should be noted that while for (most) of us, trash and litter has become a priority, for Jamaicans and people in other third world countries, their priority is food in the stomach and a roof over their head. While perhaps habit may be a small part of it, I think it is something that will never be resolved until the people have a more sustainable life.

"Tough to teach an old dog new tricks...teach children better habits before they learn our poor, old habits! "
Well said.

Bet & I were talking about the amount of trash we saw along the road and how ugly it was. One of the drivers I hired for a day stopped at a store and bought something to eat and drink. Later during the trip he swerved over across the other lane and threw his trash out the window. I felt like making a comment but did not.
Sad thing is the same thing is happening along our roads. Beer cans, soda bottles, fast food waste, etc... accumulate pretty quick. The only reason it doesn't look as bad is the public service crews recruited by the Sherrifs dept and the adopt a highway groups. I live less than a mile from a fast food place and a Mini Mart and you wouldn't believe the stuff I pick up from my property.
Steve