Calling all trash busters in the CNMI!

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. – Margaret Mead

If you’ve been paying attention to the news lately, you’ve probably noticed that the CNMI government is stepping up its efforts to enforce litter control laws. It’s also drumming up resources to tackle illegal dumpsites in the community—beginning with the San Vicente sinkhole, one of the oldest, and worst, illegal dumpsites on Saipan. But government can’t do it alone. Ordinary citizens must also take an active role in cleaning up and beautifying our islands. There are many, many ways for everyone to participate in the effort to fight littering and illegal dumping in our community. And the first step is to learn more about the problem itself.

So how about some Trash Busting 101?

Lesson 1:
Littering vs. Dumping
Trash is trash, but there are subtle differences between littering and dumping. The Commonwealth Litter Control Act defines littering as “throwing, dropping, placing, sweeping, discarding, or otherwise disposing of any litter on land or water, in other than appropriate storage containers or areas designated for such purpose.” You can find litter everywhere, and it often consists of small items like paper, cans, and food wrappers. Litter is usually easy to remove, but keeping a place litter-free is expensive and time-consuming. The act of littering can be intentional or accidental.

Illegal dumping, on the other hand, is disposal of a large amount of waste in an unpermitted area. It can involve large items like vehicles, appliances, tires, or furniture, or large quantities of small items, such as bags of household waste. Illegal dumping is always intentional, and often systematic. People do it for many reasons—out of ignorance or habit, perhaps, or to avoid paying disposal fees at the transfer station, or to hide other illegal activities. Illegal dumpsites pose a great threat to the environment and to the health of the surrounding communities, and cleaning them up is difficult and costly work.

On Saipan, there are currently six known illegal dumpsites: four on public land in Koblerville, Kagman, Laulau, and Marpi; and two on private land in San Vicente and Chalan Laulau.

Lesson 2: The Harmful Effects

Littering and illegal dumping affect everyone. From a public health and environmental perspective, improperly disposed waste can pollute ground and surface water, produce harmful chemical fluids or fumes, and attract disease-causing vermin such as rodents or insects. Illegal dumpsites are also prone to outbreaks of fire, either from spontaneous combustion or arson, causing severe erosion as vegetation is burned away. Illegal dumping can further impact proper drainage of runoff, making areas more vulnerable to flooding. Finally, the sharp edges, protruding nails, and other physical hazards typically found among illegally discarded waste materials can cause serious injury to people, especially children, and wildlife.

Littering and illegal dumping come with social and economic costs as well. New residents, businesses, and tourists tend to avoid trashed-out communities, and property values decline. Trashed-out communities also tend to be magnets for other criminal activities. Moreover, cleaning up litter and dumpsites uses tax dollars that could be spent on social services and community improvements.

Lesson 3: Enforcement

The Division of Environmental Quality is the agency charged with administering the CNMI’s Litter Control Program and Solid Waste Management Regulations. Other agencies that assist DEQ in the enforcement of these regulations include: the Coastal Resources Management Office, the Department of Public Safety, the Marianas Visitors Authority, the Department of Lands and Natural Resources, the Department of Public Works, the Mayor’s Office, and the Department of Public Health.

DEQ’s certified apprehending officers patrol the islands of Saipan, Tinian, and Rota, and monitor sites with known histories of being used for dumping. The officers investigate the contents of dumped waste, looking for telltale evidence that would help identify the culprits. They do not have to physically witness the act of dumping in order to issue a citation: a receipt with a name on it is enough. When the evidence is collected and the responsible individual(s) cited, the case is forwarded to Superior Court.

For littering, individuals can be fined anywhere from $200 to $500, and may further be ordered to remove litter in a selected public place, and/or pay the costs of removing the litter they contributed themselves. Ignoring citations is cause for arrest. For operating or contributing to illegal dumpsites, individuals can face penalties that range from $1,000 per violation to a maximum of $25,000 per day.

Lesson 4: Becoming a Citizen Trash Buster

The fight against littering and illegal dumping is difficult, and government can’t do it alone. This is where you, as Citizen Trash Buster, come in. So what can you do to help? Here are five ideas:

1. First, and foremost, don’t be a dumper yourself. If you’re going to throw something—anything—away, you should dispose of it in its proper place: in a trash can or other designated container that will then be emptied out at the Lower Base transfer station or the Marpi landfill.

2. If you have your garbage picked up, make sure it’s done by a legitimate waste hauling service! Call DEQ at 664-8500 to find out if the trash collection business you’re thinking about hiring is both registered and responsible.

3. Report violations. If you witness a littering or dumping offense, call any of the following agencies:
* DEQ: 664-8500
* DPS: 664-9000
* CRM 664-8300

Try to provide the agency with as much information as possible about the incident, including the number of persons involved, with descriptions (gender, hair color, build, approximate age), names (if you know them), license plate numbers and vehicle descriptions, the date, time, and location of the incident, and ownership of the site. You do not have to give your name or telephone number when reporting a violation.

Also, be persistent. Follow up on your complaints, and don’t get discouraged if your reports don’t result in successful prosecutions. If more people like you get involved and stay involved, litterbugs and dumpers are more likely to be identified and held responsible for their actions. And every time someone appears in court or is questioned by an enforcement officer, the message goes out to other violators and the larger community that improper disposal of waste is illegal and harmful.

4. Participate in community cleanups. DEQ’s Volunteer Cleanup Brigade picks a beach every first Saturday of the month to do a cleanup, and other organizations like MOVER and POWER go out into the community to remove garbage from lagoons, beaches, drainages, and other critical areas. Call DEQ at 664-8500 for more information about how you can lend a hand.

5. Get organized. Start a Trash Busters Brigade (or whatever you want to call it) in your neighborhood. From organizing neighborhood cleanups, to monitoring sites that are prone to illegal dumping, to putting pressure on government agencies and elected officials to take action against littering and illegal dumping – there’s no limit to what a team of committed, active citizens can do to improve their communities.

The fact is, garbage is everyone’s business, and there are countless ways that citizens can help stop littering and illegal dumping in the CNMI. I’ve already listed five. If you want to know more about what you can do to keep our islands clean, healthy, and beautiful, or you have some ideas of your own that you’d like to share with us, call DEQ at 664-8500 or email us at deq@saipan.com. Think of what a difference a solid partnership of dedicated agencies and caring citizens can make in the crusade to clean up the community, and keep it clean.

Trash Busters of the CNMI, unite! (Tina Sablan)

Tina Sablan is an Environmental Specialist at DEQ. She can be reached at 664-8500, or deq.specialist@saipan.com.