Trash and Refuse Choke Local Ecosystems
By Ryan Haas
Reporter-SKNVibes.com
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| 1000 pounds of trash from turtle beach |
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - THE St. Kitts branch of the Reef Ecology Watch Group (REWG) is continuing its efforts to clean up the beaches on the island and therefore maintain the delicate reef ecosystem.
In November 2007 the clean-up groups removed nearly 100 bags of trash from Banana Bay and, just last Saturday, they again removed another 120 bags, but this time from Major’s Bay.
With close to 50 individuals picking up the trash and debris from the beaches, the group was forced to cut short their clean-up after running out of bags. Items collected included sheet metal, tires, crates, and especially plastic bottles.
John Francis, a member of the REWG since the group began last year, said clean-up groups like this are vital to St. Kitts as the nation grows and more waste materials are generated.
“St. Kitts has an amazing bottle recycling programme, but now that the Bottling Company is switching to plastic containers you are going to see a rise in refuse. You will never see a ‘Brison’ bottle lying on the beach, but plastic bottles are non-refundable so that will be a real problem in terms of people throwing them anywhere.”
Maureen Sullivan, founder of the REWG, said the group plans to return in March and finish the job they started.
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John Francis & Maureen Sullivan
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She said education is one way to combat the growing problem of litter and pollution. “We had a lot of kids from the Children’s Home come out to our Major’s Bay cleanup and that is great, because it is teaching them that properly disposing of waste is not a punishment but a responsibility of everyone.
Many people think that the ocean will carry away their waste, but it only gets trapped in the beaches and surrounding reefs,” she said. “We need to make people aware that plastic takes a long time to breakdown and can harm the plants and animals that we need to survive.”
Since established, the group has managed to clean four beaches (South Friar’s, Turtle Beach, Banana Beach, and Major’s Bay), but members are addressing the problem of pollution from more than just a cleanup aspect.
“One of our goals is to teach people what rubbish is really about,” Francis said, “Trash is money. People just need to show that they are willing to do their part. If Kittitians got behind refuse clean-up the government could create many jobs dedicated to the removal and recycling processes, but that involvement needs to start at home.
~~Adz:Left~~ Everyone must do their individual part; a person cannot throw trash on the ground and assume someone else is going to pick it up. We all need to be accountable.”
“We encourage people to take a trash bag along to the beach every time they go. Taking your own waste with you and cleaning up a little extra can make a huge difference if everybody participates,” Sullivan said.
The REWG not only plans to return to Major’s Bay, but also has an “Eco-Party” scheduled at Sand Banks on March 9. “We plan to have food, drinks and fun while we clean,” Sullivan said. Additionally, the REWG hopes that it would be able to clean Conaree Beach sometime this year. “We are really going to need the community’s help for that one. We estimate it is going to take close to 1 000 bags to thoroughly clean that beach,” Sullivan said.
