Saving the Earth

In April 2016, the Government gave notice that the landfills of Guanapo, Beetham and Forres Park would be phased out from 2017. Yet, according to current news, they are still awaiting reports before implementing any closure of landfills.

What has happened with the plans for possible recycling, and reuse of the 1,500 tonnes of waste that reportedly goes into these dumps on a daily basis? As a nation Trinidad and Tobago is exceptionally lax in its attitude to the environment. There is apparently little awareness of the need to limit pollution. In particular the effects of the built environment and waste on waterways are really not given adequate public airing other than in crisis situations. Few take notice of the knock-on effect of poor planning and of the flow of waste from landfill to rivers and of course the effects of deforestation on the island.

We have yet to see a campaign to prevent the release of plastic bags and containers into the sea, even though we are all aware that our much cherished turtles are most at risk from this form of human pollution.

But these are only some of the ways in which as a nation we remain lackadaisical about the value of our world.

There is little sense of the need to ration our use of plastics, for example, or the need to dispose of them both safely and responsibly. Garbage in our affluent nation is simply dumped.

Our use of plastic bags is exorbitant, though there have been recent calls for the introduction of a tax on these at supermarkets. Why not just bring your market bag to the grocery? Of course there would have to be a shift in the scurrilous attitude to customers in most supermarkets in order to allow this to happen.

Just think how much it would cost to check every bag as it leaves the grocery shop in our suspicion-ridden island. Yet in so-called developed countries customers do bring their own shopping bags and are charged if they require a plastic bag from the teller.

And while it may appear impossible, this might go some way in reinstating that trust that once existed between the proprietor and the customer.

It might even help in restoring some degree of self-esteem to the citizen at large.

I do not know whether there are recycling plants in Trinidad and Tobago.

But I do know that there is a lot of waste and that there is no attempt to separate recyclable products from non-recyclables in our daily garbage disposal. Yet much of what we consider to be waste in this consumer- oriented world that we inhabit can be reused.

Paper and cardboard, of which there is a great deal, is one example.

But for most people the solution is to call for a limit on the use of paper and so become a paper-free nation — yet even as we post everything by email or through the Internet, our use of paper products increases.

We are assailed by packaging designed to entice us to purchase what we do not need. Packaging is there simply to inveigle us into entering the spirit of retail therapy or is designed to encourage us to buy unwanted products to allay our boredom or depression. We have learnt to replace relationships with things and the more beautifully these things appear on the outside the more alluring they become.

Think back over Christmas and the mountains of paper and packaging that remained at the end of the holidays. Look at any kitchen or bathroom and the number of empty or half-empty plastic containers is alarming. Our homes and work areas are crammed with plastics and aluminium products, most of which end up in landfills.

Yet, the world and its resources are not unlimited — nor are oil and gas.

Maybe there will be no world for our children to inherit as politicians increase their crazy rhetoric and the cry for “more” grows even more strident. But for those of us who live close to water, whether sea or river, and who value trees and who see the importance of forests as they protect our land from flooding and slippage, it remains important that we monitor how as humans we treat this Earth.

As Carnival approaches and the piles of tins, packages and bottles build up, just as we have cleared the dumps of Christmas garbage, perhaps some wise and enterprising mayor or councillor will have the common sense and foresight to place recycle bins in strategic spots throughout our cities and towns and perhaps even consider levying a fine on those who cannot be bothered to sort their rubbish. It may be worth it in the long run. After all, Trinidad remains a key rain forest region and a place where eco-tourism should be a top priority. But that cannot and will not happen until every child and adult assumes responsibility for protecting the environment. This is not just about water then, though ensuring that rivers remain free of pollution is vital. What is needed is an entire mind shift that focuses the attention of the n a t i o n on our respons i bi l i ty as cons ume r s and as keepers of the Earth.