“We are asking the community to please clean up after your own trash and do your part to maintain the cleanliness of this island,” Joe Kaipat of DEQ told the Variety yesterday.
He said after learning about the overflowing trash bins at the Paseo de Marianas, he visited the area to see the situation for himself.
“The sight is disgusting especially in the tourist district. Most of the pieces of trash scattered in the area are not commercial, which means they are from the households and apartments. We have already told them before during our outreach programs to clean up after their own trash, but they are still doing it,” Kaipat said.
He said he also notified the Marianas Visitors Authority about it.
Kaipat at the same time commends the children and other volunteers who regularly pick up trash in the Paseo de Marianas area every month.
“This is not fair to them. If the government cannot collect the trash, then residents in the area should do their part and clean the trash,” he said.
He added that vendors at the street market should also take care of their own trash and not leave anything behind.
“No one is assigned to clean up after them so they should do their part,” he said.
DEQ will now monitor Paseo de Marianas, he added.
Kaipat said they are still waiting for the enactment of House Bill 17-171 which will reduce the littering fine from $200 to $25 and finally implement the 1989 anti-littering law.
The littering problem is not limited to Paseo de Marianas. Some residents have been complaining of trash dumped on roadsides and beaches in other areas of the island.
“This is fast becoming an island-wide problem,” one resident said.
