WHERE TUH PUT IT?
Now that is the big question I would like tuh ask a lot o’ people in Barbados who like duh doan seem tuh know or understand how very important and necessary it is tuh have a place tuh recycle all the lot o’ things dat we have been throwing out in the garbage.
Fuh all the years now and from the time I know myself, we have been flinging any and evahthing in the garbage wid-out the slightest thought of sorting it out and putting it where it could be used or discarded in the right way.
I could remember the time when people used tuh just throw evahthing in the stuff can or the garbage bucket or bin; nuh neatly tied up plastic bags, evahthing used tuh be in the stuff can just so and the garbage collectors as duh used tuh call dem at the time used tuh come around, lift up the drum or bucket or wha’evah the stuff was in and dump it in tuh the back o’ the truck.
I could also remember how the men used tuh have shovels on pon the back o’ the garbage trucks dat they would use tuh rake up all the stuff dat drop out and pelt it back in tuh the truck. But dat doan happen nowadays.
First of all, ya doan call dem garbage collectors nuh more: dem name sanitation workers now and furthermore duh doan have nuh kinda shovel attached tuh the trucks ‘cause dem doan rake up nuh kinda stuff, garbage or whatevah you does call it.
Look, people used tuh pelt evahthing in the garbage; things like corn beef cans, the sardine tins, middle cut and mackerel tins, the whole glass bottles and the brek-up ones, all gine in the same garbage bin at the time and no, garbage bags ya hear?
We use tuh fling in the plastic bags and paper bags; then duh was the big plastic detergent and bleach bottles. We used tuh pelt in sweet drink bottles, duh aint had the plastic ones then, pieces o’ metal, old rusty wire hangers and any other kind o’ metal thing dat we didn’t want.
Doan talk bout the scraps at all, all the potato peelings, old spoiled fruit and old spoiled food from the fridge used tuh see the garbage.
And look, if we didn’t have a dog or cat hanging bout the place, all the the table scraps like the ends o’ bones and food dat get left back pon somebody plate used tuh get raked in the garbage; all mixed up wid all the other things dat I talk bout before fuh the sanitation people tuh pick up and carry tuh the dump. Nuhbody didn’t use tuh sort out nothing.
But look wha’ gine happen now, here comes somebody who set up a plant dat ya could take all o’ the things we used tuh so carelessly discard of, employ people; and some people doing the dog bout it.
Well fuh all the years now I have been taking my drink bottles tuh the different supermarkets, sorting them out there and getting a lil silp fuh a few dollars bills dat I could spend back in the supermarket.
Well you would know how ya could collect or hoard all kinds o’ junk ya doan really want but think ya want tuh keep fuh what evah reason.
Anyway, a few years back my sister tell me bout this place in St Thomas dat used tuh take all sorts o’ things, so we went up there wid the car ram off wid all kinds o’ plastic bottles and was told by one of the employees dat they do collections too.
Well, you know I was done wid the supermarkets, I used tuh collect and sort out evahthing, bag dem nicely and somebody from B’s used tuh come and collect.
Look, doan get me wrong, I aint saying dat people shouldn’t be concerned wid a big able recycling place right in duh back or front yards; especially after what happened there the other day but it is one o’ the best things dat has happened tuh Barbados in a long time.
Fuh one it used tuh employ a good few people; some people became entrepreneurs as a result, going around and collecting all sorts o’ things dat is recyclable. Another thing is dat it stopped people from dumping all kinda things bout the place.
But Barbados is only a small lil island wid so much space and we need a business like this tuh help we get rid o’ some o’ the waste. So, where we gine put it dat it won’t affect people? If it doan affect you, it gine affect me; Where we gine put it?
• Mavis Beckles was born and raised in The Orleans. She has an opinion on everything.
