If you think the police are looking the other way when an empty box of chicken flies by their windshield, think again. If an environmental offender is seen throwing that empty box of leftover lunch out of his car window it will cost him a lot more than the embarrassment of getting pulled over and picking up his tossed out trash. It will cost him $100 in cold hard cash.

And those who think they can continue to dump their household debris all over the island, they just better watch their back. The fines for dumping start at $500 and there are many eyes watching. Environmentalists on Grand Bahama have been waiting a very long time for littering offenses to be taken seriously and the time we have all waited for has now arrived. In the past, officers would issue a citation for individuals to appear in court to face accusations of environmental unfriendliness.

Many of the offenses would be ignored and prosecution pursuit was minimal. Now with new laws in place, Road Traffic officers nationwide are taking trash tossing much more seriously. They are now empowered to issue littering citations on the spot for fines incurred for environmental offenses.

In March of 2012 the Bahamas Road Traffic Regulations were updated to include section 21 (e) which states that a $100 fine will be issued to persons "unlawfully or willingly discharging or throwing objects from a motor vehicle". For the more serious offenders who drive around in vehicles that spew debris all over the road, their fine escalates to $200 as per the Road Traffic Act 220. These regulations are just a couple of ways the RBPF (Royal Bahamian Police Force) is enforcing the message that we must keep our environment clean.

By Cheri Wood

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