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MM Clean Campaign – What is Littering

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October 11, 2018 – Litter is nothing but a piece of waste or rubbish that has been disposed improperly, without consent and at wrong location. Littering simply means throwing away objects on the ground or leaving them lying on the ground instead of disposing them at garbage can, recycling bin or trash container. The waste that originates from houses, industries, factories should be placed either in recycling bin or waste to energy plant or at a site meant for disposing garbage.

Litter can originate from construction and demolition sites, households, uncovered trucks, pedestrians, and moving vehicles.  Apart from that, unavailability of garbage bins and being too lazy to walk to a  trash container are other reasons for littering.  Uncovered trucks, pedestrians and moving vehicles are some other

As far as littering effects are concerned, it has economic, legal and environmental impact in the form of spending millions of dollars in cleaning up litter, huge fine if caught littering from vehicle and damage to our surroundings that can have effect on plants and animals and can cause loss to the local tourism industry.

Plain and simply, littering is wrong.  We have trash and garbage cans for a reason, so why throw away your trash on the ground when you could throw it away in its intended place?  People still litter, largely for the following reasons:

–          Laziness

–          The area is already messy, why bother finding a trash can?

–          People don’t realize that with littering, there do come consequences

–          The garbage cans are already overflowing

–          My neighbor litters, so do I!

–          Really? It’s just one paper!

–          People are starving in Africa! What do you care about littering?

–          The garbage can is too far away

The list could really go on forever.  People come up with countless excuses to throw their piece of trash down on the ground instead of taking the short amount of time to find a garbage can and properly throw it away. But littering does have consequences, and here are some facts that may surprise you.  They include, but are not limited to, ecological, financial and lawful consequences:

Facts About Littering

  • Household waste, industrial waste, construction waste and other like packaging waste are most common types of sources of litter.

 

  • It doesn’t look to nice.  Places with high littering are also often riddled with crime, less values on homes and property, and are more likely to be the site of fires.  You could ultimately end up losing money on your house.

 

  • Litter on the ground degrades natural areas and kills plants and animals.  All that it takes is for a cat to get stuck in a bottle or a bird getting caught up in a soda can holder.

 

  • Billions of tons of litter are dumped into the ocean each year, and it is more than the 250 million trashes that is being generated each year too. When you toss your garbage on the sidewalk or on the highway, you may in reality be throwing it away into the Atlantic. This leads to the repeated killing of fish on a daily basis and the gradual depletion of marine life.  Believe it or not, the litter we produce are causing more underwater species to become endangered.

 

  • Cigarette butts make up over half of our littered objects, and they take a grand total of ten years to decompose because of a cellulose acetate, contrary to the popular perception that cigarette butts decompose very quickly in only a matter of days. In reality, cigarette butts are a serious threat to the environment.

 

  • The main causes of littering are laziness, ignorance, people don’t realize the effects of littering, the bins are dirty and not big enough, there are enough bins and moreover those bins aren’t emptied often enough, poor parenting and education, there is no fine for littering, one person can’t make a difference, no sense of pride, not bothered about effects of littering.

 

  • The most common littered objects include the following in descending order: fast food, paper, aluminium, glass, and plastic.  It turns out someone would rather toss their burger wrapper and empty soda on the street than find a garbage can, and not surprisingly, this is done on roadside and highways.

 

  • Litter can be controlled.  People need to be educated regarding ill effects of littering. Education plays an important role here. Children needs to be taught at elementary level as how littering can can cause environmental impact. They can also teach others they see littering and and teach them to dispose of garbage the right way.

 

  • Litter is smelly and dirty and can be dangerous and unhealthy for our environment. It affects communities and people who live there. It could be poisonous for plants and animals. It can have a severe impact on tourism.

 

  • Fast food wrappers and aluminium cans are two most common type of items that are found while cleaning litter.

 

  • Litter when not covered on a truck bed can cause it to blow out without the driver knowing.

 

  • Do not throw litter from a vehicle as it may cause damage to surroundings and can have a bad effect on local tourism industry.

 

  • Litter can hamper economic development of a community.  When new businesses look for a dynamic growing community where their businesses can grow, they would hardly be interested in setting up new ventures, if they see a lot of litter around.

 

  • Reducing litter is just a 3 step process: stop littering, pick up litter, report if you find someone littering illegally.

 

Article: Conserve Energy Future

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Joyful Collaboration between 2 Regional Foundations Uplifts Tourism Professionals in Turks & Caicos

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CHTA Education Foundation & Sandals Foundation Training Celebration with TCHTA in Providenciales 20 October 2026. Front Row, L to R: Suzanne & Louise CHTAEF Trainers, Wesley Clerveau, PS Ministry of Tourism, Deryck Meany for Sandals Foundation, TCHTA team: Stacy-Ann Wharton, VP – Nicholette Thomas Operations Manager - Omega Simmons Board Member

Turks and Caicos – Caribbean Supercharged Service, Learning & Leadership workshops were enjoyed by professionals from Grace Bay Car Rentals, a local sponsor, alongside a Heavy Machinery Rental Company, a Paint retailer, 8 resorts, a luxury villa management enterprise and 3 TCHTA sponsored junior chefs, including Team TCI Junior Chef 2026, Zaliya Dickenson, who will complete at the Taste of the Caribbean in November for her country.

These workshops were the result of the longstanding partnership between the CHTA Education Foundation and their sponsor, Sandals Foundation, who support the Caribbean Supercharged programme on a different island every year. This year, the Turks & Caicos Hotel & Tourism Association (TCHTA) hosted the initiative to the delight of its members.

The workshops targeted new team members, seasoned professionals, managers and supervisors. Topics included Foundations & Finesse within Customer Interactions, Delivering Clear Expectations for Service Consistency and Making Memorable Moments.

Sandals Foundation was pleased to also sponsor chefs, cooks, stewards, warehouse & purchasing staff from 7 resorts and 2 high schools for an intensive HACCP Preparation & Pre-Requisites informational day, including international coursebooks, team training booklets and each person’s international assessment fee. The course is approved by the Royal Society for Public Health UK, earns Continuing Professional Development Credits, and is recognized globally as the leading Food Safety Management System.

Deryk Meany, General Manager, Beaches TCI, represented Heidi Clarke, Executive Director, Sandals Foundation at the 20 October Celebration with energy and passion for professional development and life-long learning in tourism to ever uplift and grow ourselves. He asked participants to ‘never stop learning! Today is a step upwards in your personal growth and that of the industry. We are never too old to learn, to share our experiences within training and grow”

Wesley Clerveau, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, gave spirited, positive inspiration and congratulations to the participants “Stayover arrivals in TCI have increased by 6% between January & June this year, we are hot! The place visitors wish to be, and your time, application and learning in each workshop is invaluable to us as a destination and to you as citizens and residents. I urge you to put what you have gained into practice immediately and keep applying yourselves; the more you upgrade, the more service elevates, the more we all succeed”

Karolin Troubetzkoy, Chairwoman, CHTA Education Foundation commented “Congratulations to everyone who participated in this year’s workshops, thank you for being fully engaged and making the most of your opportunity.

Special mention to the 8 past participants that we reunited with and are now working in leadership positions, BRAVO! We are delighted for you and encourage you to stay focused and keep shining and growing upwards.

It has been the Education Foundations honor to work closely with our sponsor Sandals Foundation and partner with TCHTA again to create Caribbean Supercharged positivity within each of you”.

Stacey-Ann Wharton, Vice President TCHTA, congratulated everyone present and stressed the TCHTA ongoing commitment to learning and development of members teams and management, along with special TCHTA scholarships for the HACCP session for 3 Junior Chefs, showing the Associations commitment to nurturing talent from High School upwards.

PHOTO CAPTIONS

First Insert: Wesley Clerveau, PS, Ministry of Tourism

Second Insert: Deryck Meany, GM Beaches TCI representing Sandals Foundation

Third Insert: Stacy-Ann Wharton, Vice President, TCHTA

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Multi-Agency Enforcement Exercise Targets Illegal Occupation of Crown Land in Five Cays

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Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands: The Crown Land Unit, with coordination and support from the Informal Settlements Unit (ISU), conducted a multi-agency enforcement exercise in the Five Cays area on Thursday, September 17, 2026, as part of ongoing efforts to address the illegal occupation and unauthorised use of Crown land.

The exercise brought together representatives from the Crown Land Unit, ISU and the Turks and Caicos Islands Border Force. Security for the exercise was provided by the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force. Inspections were conducted across several parcels of Crown land throughout Five Cays, where instances of illegal occupation and unauthorised use had been identified.

During the exercise, a total of forty (40) Section 22 Notices of Unauthorised Occupation were served in accordance with the provisions of the Crown Land Ordinance. The notices related to various forms of unauthorised occupation and use of Crown land, including incomplete structures, shipping containers, derelict vehicles, trailer chassis, building materials and other items.

Where persons were not present, notices were affixed to the relevant structures or items. The exercise forms part of the Crown Land Unit’s continuing efforts to prevent squatting and encroachment on Crown land and to ensure that identified instances of unauthorised occupation are appropriately addressed.

The Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands reminds the public that Crown land must not be occupied, developed or otherwise used without lawful authority.

The Crown Land Unit, supported by the ISU and its other partner agencies, will continue to identify and address instances of illegal occupation of Crown land across the Turks and Caicos Islands. Persons affected by notices issued during enforcement exercises are encouraged to comply with the requirements outlined and to seek guidance from the relevant authorities where necessary.

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BermudAir Launches Service to the Turks and Caicos Islands on October 26th, Expanding Air Connectivity Ahead of Winter Season

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Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands (October 22nd, 2026) – The Turks and Caicos Islands welcomes BermudAir as the airline begins its service to the destination on Monday, October 26th, marking the start of a wider expansion that will connect us with additional cities across the United States, Canada and the Caribbean.

BermudAir’s service will begin with a new nonstop service between Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Providenciales. The flight will depart from the Howard Hamilton International Airport at 8 am on Monday morning and arrives at 7.40 pm. Aboard the inaugural flight will be a delegation from the Turks and Caicos Islands led by Experience Turks and Caicos and the Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority (TCIAA), and will include Deputy Governor, Her Excellency Anya Williams, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Zhavargo Jolly, as well s representatives of the Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association (TCHTA), the board of the Turks and Caicos Islands Tourism Authority, Invest TC and local media.

BermudAir will operate the Fort Lauderdale–Providenciales route three times weekly, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, through May 3rd, 2027. making it easier for business travellers with the schedule offering the potential for same-day return trips. The airline is also launching nonstop service between Fort Lauderdale and Belize City, Belize, on the same schedule, offering travellers in South Florida direct access to both destinations.

The new service introduces BermudAir’s premium leisure inflight experience to the Turks and Caicos Islands. Flights will operate on Embraer E190 aircraft configured without middle seats, giving every passenger a window or aisle seat, alongside complimentary snacks and beverages.

Minister of Tourism, the Honourable Zhavargo Jolly, welcomed the airline’s arrival, noting the importance of expanding airlift to support the continued development of the destination’s tourism industry.

“Air connectivity remains one of the most important factors in the continued development of our tourism industry. BermudAir’s expansion represents an opportunity to strengthen our connections with key international markets while opening new doors for our sister islands. I am particularly encouraged by the planned direct service between Newark and South Caicos, which speaks directly to our vision of expanding tourism opportunities across the Turks and Caicos Islands. Our objective is to ensure that improved connectivity translates into greater economic activity, stronger local businesses and more opportunities for Turks and Caicos Islanders to participate in and benefit from tourism.” said Minister Jolly.

Commenting on the significance of the new route for the country’s development, the Honourable Arlington Musgrove, Minister of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development (PPID), stated: “The introduction of BermudAir’s new service is a testament to the continued growth and development of our aviation sector. The Ministry of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development, alongside the Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority, remains dedicated to enhancing our airport infrastructure to accommodate increased airlift. We are committed to working to ensure that our facilities provide a seamless, world-class experience for all incoming passengers and we warmly welcome BermudAir to our shores.”

The Fort Lauderdale launch is the first of several new services BermudAir plans to introduce to the Turks and Caicos Islands for the 2026–2027 winter season. Additional connections to Providenciales are scheduled from:

  • Bermuda to TCI and Grand Cayman: Beginning December 18th, 2026
  • Anguilla: Beginning December 19th, 2026
  • Boston, Massachusetts: Beginning December 19th, 2026
  • Toronto, Canada: Beginning December 19th, 2026
  • Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina: Beginning December 20th, 2026
  • Newark, New Jersey to South Caicos: Beginning December 20th, 2026
  • St. Petersburg/Tampa, Florida: Beginning December 21st, 2026
  • Baltimore-Washington: Beginning December 24th, 2026

The expansion will give travellers more options for reaching the destination during the winter travel season, while broadening access from established and developing source markets. The additional routes also create opportunities for tourism stakeholders to reach new audiences and encourage visitors to explore more of the islands.

For flight schedules and bookings, visit www.flybermudair.com.

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