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Littering
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Posted on May 22 2005
Littering has been one of Saipan’s biggest problems for about a decade. Littering is mainly a problem on school campuses, school bus stops and the beaches. Littering is not done only on land, but on water.
Littering really is a big problem here in the CNMI. I’m very sorry and disappointed to see that the young people of the CNMI don’t care about beautifying their island. We should all keep it clean and beautiful for the future, that future generations should have something to be proud of.
Littering is done in so many places: the school bus stops and also the inside of school buses. These two places are a total disaster. Students hang around the bus stops everyday after school and their favorite thing to do is buy snacks, and after they’re done eating all the junk, they don’t even put their trash in the trash can.
Also, the inside of the PSS buses are trashed by students. The students that use the bus to go to school everyday slash the chairs and spit between the leather cover and the sponge cushion. Then they stuff their already chewed betel nut in between the leather cover and sponge cushion. Their trash then comes right after their betel nut.
Last but not least, littering on beaches is a big issue that should be taken cared of because this affects the quality of the water. The water and the beauty of the island is what attracts tourists. When swimming in the water is unpleasant, the tourism economy goes down the drain.
Back in Palau, everyone from our village take turns once a month to help clean the island. And for the students, buses are assigned to each school for a cleanup schedule. I agree with what the Division of Environmental Quality is trying to do to save the environment, and I also agree about the ideas they made with divers and boat operators for dive shops about picking up trash that they see students chewing or littering in the bus. Their punishment is 3 days suspension and community service cleaning the bus and work detail at school.
I hope that DEQ can hold a public meeting every once a year to convince everyone in the public, so they will stop littering. Also to everyone needs to start thinking about their island’s future.
Londonia U. Pedro
Saipan Southern High School
