The arduous task of the Environmental Health Unit to help safeguard the cleanliness, beauty, hygiene and general healthy condition of Anguilla and its people, has been given some welcome and much-needed relief at last.

It is the recent approval of some 30 persons who are expected to become fully functional as Litter Wardens in the near future. It is understood that they are to undergo a period of in-house training to become familiar with the regulations that govern their functioning and the Environment Health policies in Anguilla.

The appointment of Litter Wardens has been talked about for a number of years and the reason for the delay is unclear. That aside, they must now set about their work with the same spirit of nationalism and commitment that led them to offer their services voluntarily in this area of community involvement.

Today, despite the stringent Public Health legislation and regulations, the work of the Environmental Health Officers and the private collectors of solid waste, many parts of the island are still eyesores of garbage. There is still the wanton and illegal dumping of solid waste on open land areas and side roads by irresponsible persons who, for some reason, will not go to the Corito landfill site. Bottles, tins and other items for disposal are still being thrown out of vehicles, littering the sides of the roads and, while in the air, are also dangerous missiles to vehicles and pedestrians travelling behind.

The Litter Wardens should be of much assistance to the relatively small staff of Environmental Health Officers who are unable to be everywhere, at the same time, to oversee the cleanliness of the island and that all persons obey the regulations governing the disposal of garbage. With that large number of Litter Wardens and possibly others who might also volunteer to serve, there is bound to be some visible improvement in keeping Anguilla clean.

As an up-market tourism destination, a great deal of emphasis is being placed on a clean and healthy environment and rightly so. Anguilla needs a lot of community involvement at various levels in order to maintain its fine reputation as a lovely and developing island in the Caribbean. The voluntary work of the Litter Wardens is a small but important step in that direction.

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