The Ministry of Environment has flagged a critical gap in litter laws, revealing that fines for illegal dumping can only be issued if offenders are caught in the act by an authorized officer.

While responding to questions by the Standing Committee on Public Accounts the Permanent Secretary highlighted that this limitation has hindered effective enforcement.

According to Dr Sivendra Michael, the $40 penalty for littering is not enough to discourage people.

He says the call for stricter enforcement comes as civic pride and public responsibility for waste disposal continue to decline.

“Currently, a $40 fine is not sufficient to deter such behavior. Additionally, if I, as a person staying in Bayview, have electronic waste dumped outside my house, if I am fined $40 from the authorities, it is less costly than taking that waste to the Naboro landfill, Which is more costly of an accord. So I think we need to analyze the cost-benefit of that process and then come up with a very stringent way to do this”

The PS says the Ministry is also working on finalizing the draft Integrated Waste Management Plan, which has been under review for some time.

The Ministry expects the plan to be completed by June 2025.