That 1,280 pounds of rubbish was gathered during the Nature Foundation’s International Coastal Clean-up Day (see related story), while admirable, is actually bad news. After all, that entire amount came just from Mullet Bay, one of the island’s most loved beaches by locals and visitors alike.
It’s truly dumfounding that something people seem to be so proud of gets treated with such disdain and lack of respect. Not leaving behind their trash and properly disposing of it in the various bins is apparently too much to ask.
Thankfully, there are persons, including many youngsters, who not only know and do better but are willing to give their valuable time and energy to pick up after others. They help promote awareness and at least try to educate the public in the process.
St. Maarten Pride and the Filipino community are having their own version of the clean-up Sunday at Kim Sha and everyone is encouraged to lend a hand. This location had actually been designated by government post-Hurricane Irma to take cruise passengers for a beach day primarily because of the hurricane damage to Orient Bay, so it’s obviously important to the tourism economy as well.
However, these valiant and highly appreciated efforts, a ban on single-use plastic bags and Styrofoam containers, better waste collection, processing and management, garbage separation and recycling alone ultimately still won’t prove enough without a clear and widespread change of mentality.
