Dear Editor,
The environment is an important issue in the world especially today and every effort to look after it should be made by each and every one of us on our tiny island. I have mentioned the issue a few times over the years and was today confronted with a situation which apparently happens every day and sickens me to no end.
Whilst waiting in my car outside a shop in Simpson Bay, I witnessed a person get out of his car and discard a just consumed can of liquid at the side of the shop. So, I opened my window and questioned the person in a respectable manner wanting to understand why he was doing that. The response was heated, basically telling me to mind my own business.
He is in fact the cleaner at these premises, and he can do what he likes. It would have been so simple to have left the empty can in the car and dispose of it at home in a correct manner.
I don’t care if you are rich or poor, there is no need for this, and we should start educating our children at the schools to ensure we can overcome this type of careless behaviour.
I believe that currently some schools employ people to clean up after the kids which sends the wrong message in my opinion. In my school days, if you littered you would have to clean the complete schoolyard after school.
At times we get the tourists coming in organising these beach clean-ups which are much appreciated but totally useless if we keep repeating the process of dumping our rubbish everywhere.
The other day the police issued a request for people to stop dumping cars at the stadium which made me think, why, oh why do they not read the VIN numbers of these cars and charge the owners for the cost of removing these vehicles and issue a penalty at the same time. The moment these owners want to renew a licence they should be confronted with any outstanding fines. It seems the only way we learn if it hurts in the pocket.
Come on St. Maarteners, we can surely do better than this!
Rene Lammerse
