Antigua’s authorities has taken a decisive step in combating unlawful dumping by asserting plans to considerably improve fines to $40,000.
This resolution follows a current Cupboard assembly the place the problem of unlawful dumping was mentioned.
Heavy rains had exacerbated the issue, inflicting particles to dam drains and leaving unpleasant residue as soon as floodwaters subsided.
Cupboard members emphasised the extreme environmental influence of floating waste and unanimously agreed on the need to impose stricter penalties on offenders caught within the act.
Cupboard Spokesman Lionel Hurst detailed the federal government’s method to sort out this challenge, highlighting that offenders typically repeatedly use the identical areas for dumping.
“We imagine that with cameras and another sensors, we are able to decide when these vehicles are approaching that specific website and in addition truly captured by movie or by video the criminality which is going down. And that might be sufficient proof in a courtroom of regulation in Antigua and Barbuda for conviction.”
To implement the elevated fines successfully, amendments to current laws are required, that are anticipated to be accomplished and carried out presumably by subsequent month.
At the moment, beneath the Litter Management and Prevention Act of 2019, people who litter or dump waste on others’ property face fines of as much as $3,000, whereas companies could be fined as much as $15,000.
