Health Minister: Litter wardens ready to do job
Aneka Edwards, Staff Reporter - Wednesday, August 25th, 2010 at 8:15 AM
Hon Dancia Penn
Minister for Health and Social Development Dancia Penn, OBE, QC divulged that shortly she will approach Cabinet to get the approval for litter wardens to carry out their duties.
Speaking on ‘Let’s Talk’, a VIP radio programme which aired on Monday evening the Minister said, “We really need to keep the Territory clean.”
She disclosed that some 36 wardens, all volunteers, have been trained by police, officials from Solid Waste Management and the Attorney General Chambers.
Once appointed the wardens throughout the Territory will have the power and knowledge to deal with individuals who do not comply with the litter laws.
According to Minister Penn, she is “very heartened by the response of the 30 plus individuals” and added “We did not expect such a big response”.
On August 11, 2009 members of the House of Assembly voted unanimously in support of amendments to the Litter (Abatement) Act. It makes provisions for the appointment of officers employed by the Solid Waste Department and members of the Virgin Islands Auxiliary Force to be appointed as ex officio litter wardens, along with Environmental Health Officers and Police Officers at all ranks.
The prosecutorial scope for local authorities was also extended in cases where litterers are delinquent in paying any related fines. Section 4 of the Act provides for offenders who do not make related payments within 21 days to appear before a local Magistrate.
Under the amended Act, persons found guilty of discharging litter from a moving vehicle, transporting waste so that it becomes litter, littering public or private premises, or failing to comply with a litter removal notice will be subjected to a fine of $500 or three months imprisonment.
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4 Comments
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They need to look like places like Cayman, Bardados and the list goes on
I find it hard to believe anyone would throw trash from a car window, yet I know it happens. The type of person who chooses to throw garbage rather than drive a few miles home and place the container or bottle in their garbage bag is, well, the words would all be prohibited from printing.
My pet peeve and concern is the exhaust fumes I am forced to breathe in on a daily basis. Some of the vehicles are spewing thick smoke that is blue and worse pitch black! These fumes are toxic!!Carbon-fuelled engine fumes contain carbon monoxide, a poisonous gas. Prolonged exposure to these fumes, especially blue or black smoke, may lead to coughing and breathlessness. Long-term repeated exposure to diesel fumes over a period of about 20 years may increase the risk of lung cancer. Researchers have linked exhaust fumes to heart attacks, cardiovascular disease and clogged arteries.
The owners of these vehicles should be fined and ordered to remove their vehicles from the roadways until repairs have been made AND they should not be licensed!!!! Perhaps the scope of authority the litter wardens have for which to issue fines could be expanded to include the littering of the air we breathe in.
Its very impressive to see trash is more important to her than:
(1)the roads in brandywine bay to east end
(2)the public school in east end
(3) the numerous amount of unemployed youths that we have on the streets
(4)the sewerage problem that we have been faced with for years
(5) the fact the community center needs attention (by the way, while u were there, is the a/c working)
and I can go on and on…
After many years of being put on the back burner, east end is once again, place their once again. Every thursdays you make your promises and every thursday you are working on it, you have manage to do like all the others and open you mouth and blame the person before you, but thats not an excuse. Even the people that supported you financially and emotionally you have turned you back on. We expected better from you, the old as well as the young are saddened to see that you have let us down. Your committee has been there for you, and what do you do, you stab them in the back, I guess by now everyone knows that you longer have a committee. How long did you think that you could have pulled the wool over people’s eyes, even a blind man could see. I hope you enjoyed your 4 years cause the people of the 8th district did not.
I take this opportunity to get the atention of the voters in the 8th District we need to do something
We have a serious problem and we got to play our cards right. They put Marlon Penn to run but he with NDP. So our choices are to either vote for Marlon (NDP) or Dancia. The way I look at it he still related to her and also to kedrick(7th). or vote for Dancia again, which I say hell NO. But this is what I proposing if we can find someone else from another party we need to vote for all indepent people and frig both sides, maybe this is the only way we could get what we want. Boy this is a hard choice or do like and dont vote at all but the sad this about that is someone will still win. Its a no win situation.
PLease allow them to start at the administrative complex with some of the elected official. They need to clean up their act. Try cleaning up some of the pot holes from east to west while your at it. Try funding the tourist board so maybe after you clean up politically, environmentally and socially you may get a tourist or two.
East End looks like a war torn getto w/ crack heads roaming the streets like zombies. Great welcoming village for the tourist to see once they come off beef Island. Road Town stinks to the high heavens and west end jetty looks like crap
Yea a clean up would be a great idea start with the admin
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