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'Love for BVI' is the answer to indiscriminate dumping of garbage- Premier

- said everyone has to make it a personal responsibility to keep territory clean
September 7th, 2021 | Tags:
Residents of the Virgin Islands have been called upon to make it their personal responsibility to keep the territory clean, rather than depend solely on the government. Photo: Team of Reporters
Premier and Minister of Finance Honourable Andrew A. Fahie (R1) met with residents of his constituency at Leonora Delville Primary School in Cappoons Bay on Sunday, September 5, 2021. Photo: Facebook
Premier and Minister of Finance Honourable Andrew A. Fahie (R1) met with residents of his constituency at Leonora Delville Primary School in Cappoons Bay on Sunday, September 5, 2021. Photo: Facebook
Indiscriminate dumping continues to be an area of concern for the Government of the Virgin Islands. Photo: Team of Reporters
Indiscriminate dumping continues to be an area of concern for the Government of the Virgin Islands. Photo: Team of Reporters
CAPPOONS BAY, Tortola, VI- Residents of the Virgin Islands have been called upon to make it their personal responsibility to keep the territory clean, rather than depend solely on the government.

The call was made by Premier and Minister of Finance Honourable Andrew A. Fahie (R1) when he met with residents of his constituency at Leonora Delville Primary School in Cappoons Bay on Sunday, September 5, 2021.

Premier Fahie was accompanied by Deputy Premier and Minister for Education, Culture, Youth Affairs, Fisheries and Agriculture Dr the Honourable Natalio D. Wheatley (R7), Minister for Transportation, Works and Utilities Honourable Kye M. Rymer and Minister for Health and Social Development Honourable Carvin Malone (AL).

No gov't contract!

It was during the question and answer segment that one resident asked Hon Rymer for the national strategy for the clean up of the territory.

Premier Fahie; however, responded: “Everybody has to take their own personal responsibility, because we have a mindset that we just put the garbage down anywhere and solid waste out there picking up. If we don’t get pride in the BVI, if we don’t get pride in ourselves, if this can’t work out, that’s not for a government contract, sorry for whoever looking one for it.”

Premier Fahie insisted, “That’s not for a government contract, that’s for your own pride to deal with it.”

He said that in some countries persons residing along the roadway are held responsible for the cleaning and upkeep of their frontage, adding that what some residents are doing with their frontage is "unconscionable.”

We have to work on our 'santomah'

He further stated, “Anytime you see bottles and cans on the ground, they didn’t put themselves there. We have to stop littering, we have to work on our 'santomah', to do the right things and keep around our property clean. It’s very important that we do that.”

Premier Fahie noted; however, that there are certain public areas that government must take care of which include highways and certain other drives, “But after a while, it is going to come down to where we will have to start having discussions of you taking care of your area, and leave the public areas for the government to deal with.”

He stressed that persons must have a love for the “BVI” and to keep it clean.

25 Responses to “'Love for BVI' is the answer to indiscriminate dumping of garbage- Premier”

  • Lack of pride (07/09/2021, 15:56) Like (36) Dislike (0) Reply
    To litter like this reflects a lack of pride in your surroundings and yourself. Close to where I live someone keeps throwing big white trash bags in the bush along the road and there is a garbage skip just down the road! Once the chickens or wild cats get at it the nasty mess is all over the road. Another thing I frequently see is persons carrying their trash on the roof of their car and when it falls off they just drive away. I've even bought a trash picker to keep my area clean but really, it is not my job to pick up after nasty people, and with Cobid around I dont want to handle their trash. People only care about dressing cute and driving nice cars but by their behavior you can see the filth inside.
  • Waaaiiit a minute! (07/09/2021, 16:32) Like (8) Dislike (6) Reply
    Premier Fahie insisted, “That’s not for a government contract, that’s for your own pride to deal with it.”

    Didn't they just hire a UK company to do some consultation on waste management in the BVI? Starting to wonder what (or who) is (or are) the real trash in this place and how much it (or they) really need to get throw out...
    • vick (07/09/2021, 19:21) Like (11) Dislike (0) Reply
      the premier is talking about littering.for once,i agree with him,there is a bunch of people in the bvi who don't give a dam about keeping the place clean.i feel ashame when i see all the trash lying around all over the islands.
  • TruDat! (07/09/2021, 16:57) Like (10) Dislike (0) Reply
    Didn't we recently hear about how much we would be spending on CCTV around here? I have a $200 system in my home and every time someone comes on my drive I get a notification and the picture is clear enough to read the license plate. Put some of this recently promised technology to work around the dumpsters and you can soon catch a few nasty individuals and make them pay for the damage they do. The rest will sort themselves out.
    • LCS (10/09/2021, 12:31) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      That is a very good idea. Installation of CCTV to identify the culprits and FINE them. When you touch their pockets they behave.
  • Almost Fair-minded native (male) senior citizen (07/09/2021, 17:03) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    The core reason why our country is so littered with garbage is not our lack of love for our country, but rather lack of love for each and others. Our political leaders must also lead in this issue. They may agree and say, but we don't litter. But the truth is in one way or the other every loveless person litters. They may say in their minds, pay him no mind, he doesn't know what he ought to say. But I say if we all love God and our neighbors, the littering mess will quickly come to an end.
    Vote your conscience, like or dislike.
  • Bigger Problem (07/09/2021, 17:13) Like (8) Dislike (0) Reply
    While I agree that the littering demonstrates a complete lack of pride, the bigger problem is with our garbage management in the first place. Open garbage skips along the roadsides are just not the way to manage this in 2021!
  • WHAT!!!! (07/09/2021, 17:21) Like (7) Dislike (0) Reply
    “Love for BVI “ is not the answer.
    The answer is put up some cameras and heavily fine the culprits friends or not.
  • Good Advisor Free-Of-Charge Advisory (07/09/2021, 17:45) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    When we the voters voted the VIP government into political leadership positions torepresent our best intrest, a part of their job descriptions is to see to it that our country is cleanup, and kept garbage free. So Hon. Premier and cabinet do your job, and stop fussing over it.
    Before I finished, please allow me to ask you two questions, Sir. Will it cost too much to place small garbage bins at the side of our public roadways, especially our main ones? Do it look good, especially in the eyes of tourists when they see residents walking with garbage on our streets to garbage bins, regularly, because garbage bins are far from where they are living?
  • Put (07/09/2021, 18:00) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    Put back the bins !@
  • Last picture (07/09/2021, 18:36) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
    The bin is overflowing. Where are people to throw their trash? The bin has no cover. Animals and birds can get into the trash and throw it all around. This is a simple problem but seemingly the answer is no answer. Thanks for the hard work.
  • Blackbeauty (07/09/2021, 20:26) Like (3) Dislike (1) Reply
    In Fortuna, St. Thomas there is an area with about five 20 yard dumpsters for disposal for garbage.

    The receptacles we currently have are too small to contain the amount of garbage in the various neighborhoods.

    However, the bulky garbage is a bigger eyesore. It makes Nature Little Secret looks more like Nature Dirty Secret.

    I imagine the thoughts going through a visitor's mind observing garbage strewn about and the road side in dire need of landscaping.

    If we continue in this fashion, we will run tourist from our shores.

  • DEDE (07/09/2021, 20:58) Like (8) Dislike (1) Reply
    I must admit I agree with the premier. Cleanliness is next to Godliness. If we don’t have pride on ourselves, how can we have pride in others, surrounding and country. Also add in respect. It goes hand in hand love.
    Just the other day I was talking to my children about the changes happening in the country. The way I grew up compare to know. I grew up in Huntum’s Ghut still there. I was telling them about the area then versus now. Growing every day we (sibling and cousins) had to clean the yard. This was done for every house. When you walk thru the neighborhood, the yards were clean and every one had a flower garden. You barely saw anything out of place. We had a few bars where the men will drink and that was the only areas this type of activity took place. The young men had their spot but kept it clean. In my case a dirty yard meant your house wasn’t clean(that’s according to my grandmother) and would cause people to talk bad about you. She said no one wanted to come to an untidy place and on she would go until we had it clean to her likeness. This was the same for neighbors.

    Today, a walk thru the neighborhood reveals a dufferent story. Garbage all around and kind junk and old cars park up long side the roads even on side walks. If our ancestor could see how we have this place looking today, they would hold their heads in shame.

    While I’m at it, I would like to give a big shout out the the Solid Waste Department especially the riad side crew. There is one man in particular who cleans Main Street. He does a very good job in keeping that area clean. Every morning I pass him, he is sweeping, picking up the small bit of trash and sometime trim the shrubs. Thanks for a job well done.
  • Blind can see (07/09/2021, 22:45) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    Well me boy. I went up Sage Mountain for a drive the other day and it is a dam shame. The road sides are dirty dirty with Grass and what makes it worse is that the road is a one lane.

    You can't blame the residents. I can see some of them tries but the Government is failing to accept their responsibility. That's one of the places that the Taxis takes the Tourist. Thank God there is no Cruise ship. The place is an eye soar.

    The people that built those cubicles to collect the plastic, glass bottles and can needs to have some Pride themselves and clean up around those things. All they are concern about is to collect but around them things full of grass and nasty. The Government ( ministry of health) must make sure that they clean the area.

    Saying we borne here and about BVI Love is not enough and can never be. We must put some action behind of it. In other words put your money where your mouth is.

    Have some pride. Remember that cleanliness is next to Godliness.
  • Bango (08/09/2021, 09:01) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    I hate the trash but don’t mind the grass. At least it’s natural and hides the trash ppl leave cos they nasty.
  • CASSY (08/09/2021, 09:16) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    Waste Management Proposal: Let us put together a Waste Management Act which separates the commercial garbage from the residential. Tax the commercial garbage at the point of coming into the territory. The bottles and cans for starters and provide a monetary incentive for returning the cans and bottles. Make a special effort to properly dispose of computer parts especially the ones with mercury and other known chemicals. Place smaller separation garbage bins around the areas frequented by tourist and residents. Privatize the collection of waster oil whereby allowing a private public partnership to safely and efficiently dispose of restaurant, garage and household waste oil.
  • First take the splinter out of your own eyes, (08/09/2021, 10:07) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    and only then will you be able to see clearly to and help clean the dust out of your neighbors' eyes.
    Garbage littering here, there, and everywhere begins in the human mind. Love for God, for our neighbors, our country, our community best intrest is nothing short of an almost-free-of-garbage B.V.I, except for the areas where garbage are gathered, and burning continue, daily.
  • Figured it out (08/09/2021, 11:28) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
    Why we drive on the left. Easier to throw garbage to the edge of the road.
  • Cradle Rock (08/09/2021, 12:00) Like (1) Dislike (1) Reply
    Demographic change is the only way to save the Vi. The VI and its peoplearethe lovsers inthe unfortunate situation in which the VI continues to spiral downward. A large amount of the human transplants which have be e n declared free to use the place as a toilet for human frailties are indeed most comfortable and at home in garbage and self imposed poverty. It offers familiarity and comfort. It is in their DNA as can evidenced by a brief visit to their places of birth. Bvi is the septic thank of humanity by its own choosing.
  • Lucy (08/09/2021, 12:42) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    This is shameful.

    Some people put their garbage on the top of their vehicles, and dump them along the road. I witnessed that happen the other day, and I blew my horn. The person speed off.
  • S. Samuels (09/09/2021, 12:04) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    What is sad is that Alkebulan Minds Recycling Inc a local cooperation
    Has been trying to provide a free of cost service to the government to clean up the BVI also providing countless job for the territory.
    What are y'all talking about !!!
    #wheresthevision
    #wheresthetogerher
    • LCS (10/09/2021, 12:40) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      What are you talking about? Free for true? There is no free lunch in this world. And if free, why isn't the Government accepting this? I wonder...
  • Uncle (09/09/2021, 17:45) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    If the solid waste and special need at the Department would do there job instead of driving around wasting the departments resources the territory would be a lot CLEANER!!! Also the unprincipled at environment health which parks their vehicle on the grass and claim their are concerned about the ENVIRONMENT!!! Stay focused VI


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