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‘Let’s put a value on plastic bottles to curb littering’ – Richard C. de Castro

- believes that garbage collection can be a thriving business
September 30th, 2015 | Tags: Richard C. De Castro littering garbage recycling
The sight of plastic bottles on the side of roads is becoming an issue in the territory, according to talk show host Richard C. de Castro. Photo; VINO/File
Television talk show host Richard C. de Castro said that road side littering seems to be on the increase in the territory and as a tourism destination this must be curbed. Photo: VINO/File
Television talk show host Richard C. de Castro said that road side littering seems to be on the increase in the territory and as a tourism destination this must be curbed. Photo: VINO/File
“We have to address this garbage situation. The incinerator cannot be increased [in size] anymore. We owe it to ourselves to be more reasonable and to look at ways to reduce, reuse and recycle,” said de Castro. Photo: VINO/File
“We have to address this garbage situation. The incinerator cannot be increased [in size] anymore. We owe it to ourselves to be more reasonable and to look at ways to reduce, reuse and recycle,” said de Castro. Photo: VINO/File
Television talk show host Richard C. de Castro. Photo: VINO
Television talk show host Richard C. de Castro. Photo: VINO
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI – Television talk show host Richard C. de Castro said that road side littering seems to be on the increase in the territory and as a tourism destination this must be curbed.

“Please if you are one of those persons out there who is doing this road side littering stop it,” he said while speaking on his show Speak Your Mind on JTV Live last Saturday September 26, 2015.

“See if you could curtail your activity and I am suggesting a $0.5 charge on the plastic bottles where persons get their money back when they return them,” he suggested.

Always one to speak passionately about littering and the need for stronger fines and penalties for litterbugs, de Castro said the charge he suggests should keep bottles off of the road side.

“I was surprised to learn of the quantity [of plastic bottles] that we bring into the country every year. It is in the millions. So there is some money out there ladies and gentlemen. We just not tapping into it. We need to tap into that money somehow and I think one of the ways is by sorting the garbage and another way is by putting a value to it,” he said.

De Castro said that many countries have done this as a means of dealing with littering and there are only success stories to tell.

“We have to address this garbage situation. The incinerator cannot be increased [in size] anymore. We owe it to ourselves to be more reasonable and to look at ways to reduce, reuse and recycle,” said de Castro.

He is of the view that there can be spin off businesses developing from a culture where people seek to be more responsible with their waste.

12 Responses to “‘Let’s put a value on plastic bottles to curb littering’ – Richard C. de Castro”

  • consultant (30/09/2015, 08:40) Like (2) Dislike (1) Reply
    The worst thing about bottled water is the plastic bottle. However, to monetize them would require a meaningful deposit (say $1) that most people would not accept. Instead, it seems to me the solution is to provide reliable potable water, and to encourage use of reusable water bottles.
    The other problem of course is that if empty water containers have a monetary value, what is the vendor to do with the bottles returned for the deposit?
  • Hmm (30/09/2015, 08:41) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Good points
  • S.R. (30/09/2015, 08:45) Like (3) Dislike (0) Reply
    Yeh!!! And aluminum cans next. 5 cents on bottles will pay for businesses recepticles. Bottles should be required to be empty & clean to be redeemed. Crushed plastic can probably be sold off shore and I know aluminum can be.
    • consultant (30/09/2015, 11:52) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
      Crushed plastic and used aluminium have low value. That said, there are enterprises that will take them away for recycling though we might have to pay for the shipping costs. Most people believe that recycling is free but alas that is not the case. One has to pay for the service, and people do it either because they are legislated to do so or because it is, in the end, the right thing to do.
  • Just saying.... (30/09/2015, 11:01) Like (6) Dislike (3) Reply
    if when decastro was at PWD he had all these ideas his tenure would not have ended in failure where he could not even get confirm to the dawn post
    • Evadney (30/09/2015, 12:21) Like (1) Dislike (1) Reply
      Stop posting about things you do not have a clue about. de Castro retired more than 15 yrs ago.
    • Citizen (30/09/2015, 12:35) Like (1) Dislike (1) Reply
      I am in the first stage of speaking with a company in the US to get a recycle plant here.
      • greenandclean (30/09/2015, 16:54) Like (12) Dislike (0) Reply
        There is already a recycling company here in the BVI & it is located on Virgin Gorda. We are processing glass bottles & producing aggregate. We have just acquired additional equipment to move greater quantities & soon will have capacity to process 250 tons of glass per hour... In addition, we have just purchased a baler & aluminum cans will be processed & shipped out of the BVI for actual recycling before Thanksgiving. Last, plastics will be online in December. Why don't we try to support what is already in progress here in the BVI & participate when offered opportunities to separate our waste & recycle. We already import all our waste, how about instead of importing solutions, we support local business when trying to affect change in our waste management system.
  • lmao (30/09/2015, 12:11) Like (2) Dislike (9) Reply

    The BVI has 30,000 people. What value can you put on plastic bottles? These guys need to be banned from the airwaves talking pure f&^*(y all the time. Schups. People just need to use the trash cans and stop being so @#$%%^ nasty and disrespectful to the place they call home. It's that simple! What we should put a value on is common sense and some pride!

  • Duck1951 (01/10/2015, 18:03) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    Unfortunately we as human are litterers . The fish in the ocean is littered with plastic and plastic does not disintegrate . We may have to ban small and medium plastic bottles and force peoples to keep water in containers . We should also drinking water more available in public .What did we do about 25 years ago ? As a matter of fact more and more countries are beginning to ban plastic bags . We can do the same .
  • Mariela (17/01/2016, 00:51) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Hundreds of College campuses across the US and Canada have banned the plastic disposable bottle. California has banned it entirely. Australia has banned it. Most of these bans have taken place in cities that already recycle. The urgency to ban plastic in the VI, with no recycling facilities, is even more prevalent. The world's oceans and beaches are the most affected, and this is largely caused by tourism and the use of disposable plastic bottles in resorts and major hotels. If the tourist industry understood "cause and effect" - the fact that they are needlessly filling landfills, gradually destroying beaches and ocean shores thus preventing further tourism - they might ban the bottle and provide drinking water to tourists by other Eco-friendly means. Money talks...but "cause and effect" needs to begin to talk louder! But they won't without pressure! Bali, also a historically pristine island, has lost most of its tourism industry in recent years due to plastic debris in their ocean, on beaches, streets and roads. Do not doubt that a similar outcome will strike these islands unless something is done immediately to reduce plastic garbage. Ban the bottle! Ban plastic bags! Set an example and begin to save these islands and the marine life that surrounds them. After that, let people come up with their own solutions as to how to live and do business without these plastics.


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