‘More enforcers needed’

With illegal dumping remaining unchecked, Division of Environmental Quality director John I. Castro Jr. urged other agencies to have certified litter control officers to augment the enforcement of the anti-littering law.

Castro also disclosed that the DEQ is consulting its lawyer over the possibility of commissioning volunteers to report to the government those indiscriminately throwing their trash on the streets, so that violators could be issued citations.

Castro renewed the call against illegal dumping, which remains rampant despite an aggressive anti-littering campaign by the government.

Some residents had even disposed of their trash at the vicinity of the old Puerto Rico dumpsite, which has been closed to the public since the reopening of the Marpi landfill early last year.

“What DEQ is going to do is ask the cooperation of the people not to dump there,” Castro said. “Keep Saipan beautiful.”

The director said his office would conduct an investigation to possibly ascertain the identities of those who dumped their wastes in Puerto Rico.

He also lamented the condition in many public places where the DEQ installed “no littering” signs, which could be seen filled with trash right at the foot of those signs.

In an interview yesterday, Castro urged other government agencies to help beef up the enforcement of Public Law 6-37, the Commonwealth Litter Control Act of 1989, by having certified litter control officers.

Castro said the DEQ only has a few certified litter control officers that could focus on enforcing the statute. Budgetary constraints limit these officers to work only during normal government work hours.

“It’s always good working together with other agencies,” he said. “DEQ can’t do it alone.”

Castro said all litter citations issued during the year came from the DEQ. Other agencies such as the Department of Public Safety, Division of Parks and Recreation, Coastal Resources Management Office, and the Marianas Visitors Authority also have citation ticket forms.

The DEQ has issued at least 21 litter citations this year. Although the number is low, DEQ records show that the figure is the highest annual total since the enactment of the anti-littering law. From 1997 to 2003, litter citations totaled three or less per year, except for 1998, when the total reached almost 10.

The 15-year-old law provides for a penalty from $200 to $500 for littering. A violator may also be ordered to pick up trash from a public place under government supervision. “Persons found to have committed the infraction of littering shall be required to pay the costs of removing any litter they caused,” it states.