Campaign, available receptacles planned to fight illegal dumping

It's been months in the making according to Department of Public Works Director Vince Arriola.

"Basically what we're looking there is to put up billboards in select areas throughout the island along major routed roads," he said.

During a recent IBTF meeting, Arriola who chairs the subcommittee on illegal dumping, presented mockups of billboards that could be used for an upcoming anti-littering campaign.


"It's basically an outreach program, a PR program to get out there and try to keep our roadway and our island clean to include parks and beaches," Arriola said.

The billboard designs were created by students assigned to DPW that were part of the Guam Department of Education and Department of Youth Affairs summer internship program.


"The idea here is we wanted to focus on some of the ugliness and the littered area with certain statements that people can hopefully grab on to or accept and not litter," Arriola said. 335

Statements like, "Really, Guam?" "Take what you bring in," "Don't Trash Your Home," etc. 

"One of the messages we're trying to get out there especially ifthey're picnic-goers is that if you bring something in you take it back out," Arriola said. "You don't just leave it there."

Some of the suggestions from the IBTF were to includes fines and fees in the campaign. The Guam Environmental Protection's Agency Glenn San Nicolas also reminded members though that public law also requires that at public parks and beaches receptacles are provided.


"So if we put out the message for people to take out what they bring in for those looking for trash receptacles you can see that the common themes in a lot of those areas in the beaches," he said. "There's no receptacles that they can bring it to they're piling it around and somebody brought in and just left."

Task Force member Dr. Austin Shelton however said help is on the way.

 

"We do have the purchase orders completed and currently being fabricated we're going to get 23 recycling bins and 50 trash bins that we're going to be able to distribute in the parks and recycling bins at various mayors offices," he said. "Were hoping to get those all fabricated shipped over from Saipan in the next couple of months."

The other good news according to Arriola is that GDOE has indicated they might be able to provide funding for the billboards and posters that will be distributed in island schools.