Group mulls deputizing people vs illegal dumping

The rampant littering and illegal dumping occurring on Saipan were the highlight of several issues discussed during Thursday’s CNMI Organization for Conservation Outreach meeting.

CoCo member Qamar Schuyler of the Coastal Resource Management said the more than 50 participants also suggested possible solutions for the two issues, and also expressed concerns about sewage overflow and invasive species.

The meeting was the first for the organization, which was launched in November last year.

Schuyler said many participants were students from various schools.

She said that, among the suggested solutions brought up at the meeting, the one that gained the most support was deputizing citizens to enable them to cite violators who engage in littering or illegal dumping.

Schuyler said, though, that deputizing citizens is “just an idea” that had a lot of support from the group.

“It’s been looked into in the past and I think there were some legal issues about it and there’s a lot of ramifications that would have to be looked into before something like that happens,” she said.

She explained, though, that CoCo, an organization comprising representatives from various government agencies that aims to facilitate collaboration on environmental outreach projects, supports the idea.

“It’s something that as we go forward with the group, we’re going to look into how we’re going to make that feasible,” she said. “We really want to increase enforcement of litter violations and get people to realize that littering is a crime.”

Earlier, Division of Environmental Quality director John Castro indicated that the agency only has a few certified litter control officers that could focus on enforcing Public Law 6-37, the Commonwealth Litter Control Act of 1989. Budgetary constraints limit these officers to working only during normal government work hours.

Castro urged other agencies to have certified litter control officers to augment the enforcement of the anti-littering law.

He disclosed that DEQ is consulting its lawyer over the possibility of commissioning volunteers to report to the government those indiscriminately throwing their trash on the streets, so that violators could be issued citations.

“It’s always good working together with other agencies,” he said. “DEQ can’t do it alone.”

“The public at large are the ones affected by litter,” Schuyler said. “They have to look at it everyday…when going hiking and along the road when they drive. There are so many people concerned about that.”

The DEQ has issued at least 21 litter citations last year. Although relatively low, DEQ records show that the figure is the highest annual total since the enactment of the anti-littering law. From 1997 to 2003, litter citations totaled three or less per year, except for 1998, when the total reached almost 10.

The 15-year-old law provides for a penalty from $200 to $500 for littering. A violator may also be ordered to pick up trash from a public place under government supervision. “Persons found to have committed the infraction of littering shall be required to pay the costs of removing any litter they caused,” the law states.

Meanwhile, Schuyler said community cleanups would continue, and CoCo would incorporate handing out educational brochures on littering during the cleanups.

CoCo works cooperatively on projects involving all areas of the environment from the summit to the sea, including litter and recycling, land habitat issues, coral reef degradation, and water quality.

It has chosen the coconut crab to be its mascot.

“Her name is CoCo and the reason we chose her is coconut crabs live on land, but the females have to return to the ocean to have their babies. We’re a group that represents environmental concerns from water and land,” Schuyler said.

Find out more about CoCo by getting on its list serve at coconet-subscribe@crm.gov.mp or contact Schuyler at 664-8300 or email Qamar.Schuyler@crm.gov.mp.