LITTERING and illegal dumping continue to be a major headache in Bermuda because present legislation is inefficient and offenders know they won't be prosecuted, says Keep Bermuda Beautiful executive director Lennox Boodram.

He blames the problem on the community lacking the necessary education programmes.

Were it not for KBB and other like-minded groups, Mr. Boodram said the 60 tons of garbage it collected each year would remain to fester along railway trails, the ocean bottom, roadsides and elsewhere, because Government did not take responsibility for clearing landscapes and coastal areas.

And he questioned why, with educational tools already in place, Government was not looking to fix the situation before it became worse.

"There is no concerted effort. Government has nobody that collects litter on the island. We have the street sweepers and the garbage collectors, and that's it. Part of Government's mandate is to pick up garbage to promote good, healthy living, but tell me, which Government department is responsible for picking up litter on Bermuda's open spaces? None.

"It's interesting, whenever anyone speaks of the loss to the island after Fabian, the assesment is always in the millions; in dollars. What about the loss to our environment?

"(There is) an Education and Enforcement officer but there's no education, and there is no enforcement. If the post is redundant, where's that money? It was provided for in last year's Budget. If the post was made redundant, that money could have been given to charities to deal with landscaping and educational programmes."

Works & Engineering Permanent Secretary Derrick Binns said Government had addressed the issues in other ways, providing ongoing assistance to groups such as KBB, providing public dumping facilities and informing residents of the importance of proper disposal.

"Littering is an ongoing concern for us," he said. "We encourage people to do what's right. Government has done a tremendous amount to make legitimate dumping sites available. But for some reason, some people just prefer to dump their garbage elsewhere.

"We do not have an organised programme where we can go out into the schools and educate students against littering but we certainly support and work with agencies that wish to do that."

One of the main reasons why dumping had become such a problem was the inadequacy of the present legislation, Mr. Boodram said. The Waste & Litter Act required at least two people to witness someone illegally dumping or littering, and report them to authorities before any action could be taken.

"In my opinion littering is definitely on the increase in Bermuda," he said. "Personally, I don't think we give waste management the attention needed to protect the environment. There are some programmes in place, but I don't feel the right amount of effort is being made to make the public aware of those programmes or the penalties for breaking the laws.

"And the laws that are there are not enforced. I get complaints every day but no one has been fined in the six years I've been here. The common excuse is that the laws are too difficult to enforce."

The Act could be strengthened, Dr. Binns agreed but he said until changes were made, residents had to be responsible for their own actions.

"We are looking at making amendments to the existing legislation, although we have nothing (concrete) yet," he said. "But what it always gets back to, is somebody doing something; to people taking responsibility for their own actions. Yes, we are doing things to make a difference but the responsibility of helping people make better choices rests with all of us and that's why community groups are so important and, sometimes, why they are heard more effectively."

According to Mr. Boodram, Government seems unwilling to commit to workable solutions, an easily adaptable one being a bottle bill formerly welcomed by Premier Alex Scott as Minister of Works & Engineering.

"The litter problem will never go away unless we as a country realise the importance of protecting the environment. Basically, there's a minority of people who really don't care. People who don't have respect for their environment.

"As residents of Bermuda, we have a responsibility both socially and morally to protect the environment. Government is the biggest employer on the island. The recycling (programme) requires that the trucks collect recyclables from every Government building. Why, when there's no compulsary recycling in Government buildings?

"There should be compulsory recycling in its buildings and in schools.

"(KBB) research has shown is that the greatest bulk of litter, in numbers and in volume, (is comprised) of beverage containers. In 2000, Alex Scott (as Minister of Works & Engineering) said his Government would support a bottle bill. We did the research, we formed a committee and, two years down the road, we don't know if we'll have a bottle bill or not."

Such a bill would reduce 50 per cent of the litter found on Bermuda's roads today, he said. Additionally, it might encourage wall-sitters to clean their neighbourhoods, and provide collecting charities and sports groups with cash.

"People who use the kerbside system are not going to collect the money. They do it because they already have a love for the environment. But the guys who sit on the wall outside PHC and toss bottles behind them, I'm sure it'd be no problem for them to pick up the bottles, take them to the store, even if only to collect money to get a beer.

"In New York, a whole sub-society survives (through the bottle bill)."

KBB, with the help of various organisations and individuals, performs between 60 and 70 clean-ups each year. Two major efforts are National Clean-Up Week and Marine Clean-Up Day, held last month in the days of post-Hurricane Fabian.

The Ministry regularly assisted in such events, and encouraged others, Dr. Binns said.

"We do not clean the coastal areas but we do assist KBB and other groups in their efforts. We've provided trucks for transporting garbage and (members of the Ministry) have provided help, physically.

"Some people organise clean-ups within their own neighbourhoods. Actions like that we applaud and hope they encourage others to do something similar."