THE Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment on Friday hosted a stakeholders’ consultation on the Environmental Protection (Litter Enforcement) Regulations 2013 towards creating a public-private partnership to ensure proper understanding and enforcement of the regulation.

The consultation which was held at Duke Lodge, Kingston attracted stakeholders from both the private and public sectors. It entailed presentations on the regulation by staff of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the agency tasked with the responsibility of executing the regulation.
There are five main areas under the regulation; littering by individuals, litter from vehicles, littering on private premises, local authority and litter prevention, wardens and litter prevention wardens.
EPA’s Director of the Environmental Management and Compliance Department, Khemraj Parsram noted that the aim of the regulation is to reduce garbage in Georgetown by at least 50% by 2016.
Under the category of littering by individuals, which relates to individuals throwing garbage in a public place, the charge under the first offence is $50,000 per person and $100,000 per business.

The same penalty applies for the litter from vehicles component of the regulation, which deals with litter being thrown out of private vehicles.
A fine of $30,000 or six months imprisonment will be given to individuals who are found littering another person’s property without consent under the littering on private premises component. This component also states that if a person is found to have committed the same offence twice, that person will be required to pay double the maximum fine attached to the original offence. If the person fails to do so, then he/she will be liable to imprisonment of up to a maximum of five months.
The local authority and litter prevention wardens’ component of the regulation relates to the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDC), the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development and other agencies appointed by the Minister of Natural Resources. These agencies will be responsible for the provision of receptacles for litter, and ensuring that public places are kept in a clean and tidy manner.
The litter prevention wardens are individuals who will be certified by the minister to arrest persons found guilty under the regulations.
Legal Adviser of the EPA, Richard Layne noted that simplified copies of the regulation will be circulated to educate the public about it.(GINA)