TCI News
MM Clean Campaign – What is Littering
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
Turks and Caicos, September 6, 2025 – The Office of the Deputy Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands is pleased to announce the appointment of Mrs. Tamica Prospere as the Director of the Department of Learning and Development within the Office of the Deputy Governor.
Mrs. Prospere holds a Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) Associate Diploma in Organisational Learning and Development (RQF Level 5), a Bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of the West Indies (UWI) and an Associate Degree in Education, also from UWI. She has further enhanced her credentials with certifications and coursework in content delivery, human resource management, talent management, and training and development from esteemed institutions, including Mico University College and CIPD.
With a strong foundation in public service and education in St. Lucia, Mrs. Prospere dedicated over a decade to classroom teaching at the secondary school level, beginning in 2002. During her tenure, she educated a diverse student body across various subjects, including Mathematics, Information Technology, and Life Skills, all aimed at fostering students’ personal and social well-being. She also facilitated community adult learning programs, showcasing her enduring commitment to promoting inclusive and varied educational opportunities.
Her career in public service in the Turks and Caicos Islands began in 2014 as a teacher at Marjorie Basden High School. From 2019, she served as the Learning and Development Manager for the legacy Customs Department and later for the TCI Border Force. In this role, she made significant contributions to improvements and championed a culture of professional growth.
Mrs. Prospere has been a strong advocate for leadership development through several key programmes. She conceptualised and introduced
the Leading Effectively through Accountability and Development (LEAD) programme for the management team, which has successfully run for three consecutive years, with its most recent leadership reinforcement event held in 2025. Additionally, she implemented several programmes in partnership with educational institutions, resulting in 27 Border Force officers earning continuing professional development (CPD) certifications in supervisory management from UWI and 10 managers completing the Dynamic Leadership course with the Caribbean Maritime University.
She played a pivotal role in developing operational strategic plans and frameworks for both the Customs Department and the TCI Border Force. Mrs. Prospere spearheaded the creation and delivery of professional programmes, such as the Customs Broker Certification Programme. She introduced a Learning Management System (LMS) to facilitate scalable learning for aspiring Customs Brokers.
Moreover, she led the implementation of several significant projects, most notably the Regional Clearance System in the TCI and a comprehensive revamp of customs procedures at Howard Hamilton International Airport, which greatly enhanced operational efficiency. She also facilitated key engagements that strengthened partnerships with leading regional bodies, including the Caribbean Customs Legislation and Enforcement Council (CCLEC), the border security team within CARICOM IMPACS, and the customs advisory arm of CARTAC. These collaborations were instrumental in securing vital technical assistance for training.
Speaking on the appointment, Mrs. Prospere said, “I am honoured to step into this role and lead the Learning and Development Directorate. I believe that a world-class public service is built together. I’m dedicated to partnering with civil servants at all levels to foster a dynamic learning environment where we can collectively develop the skills needed to be adaptable, exceed standards, and deliver truly exceptional service to the public.”
In congratulating Mrs. Prospere, Deputy Governor and Head of the Public Service, H.E. Anya Williams stated, “We are pleased to extend congratulations to Mrs. Tamica Prospere on her appointment as the new Director of the Department of Learning and Development within the Office of the Deputy Governor.
With over a decade of dedicated service in the field of training and development, Mrs. Prospere has consistently demonstrated a deep commitment to building capacity and strengthening the public service workforce in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Her innovative and strategic approach to learning has transformed teams and empowered individuals, ensuring the public service is well-equipped to meet the demands of a constantly evolving landscape.
As the government continues its efforts to enhance service delivery through robust and comprehensive training initiatives, we are confident that Mrs. Prospere’s leadership will be instrumental in advancing a culture of excellence, collaboration and continuous growth across the public sector.
Congratulations Mrs. Prospere, on your well-deserved promotion. We look forward to working with you to shape the future of learning and development in the Public Service in the Turks and Caicos Islands.”
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