As Barbados prepares for the official start of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season on June 1, a top health official is sounding the alarm over a preventable public hazard that is worsening flood risk across the island nation: widespread indiscriminate littering and unregulated illegal dumping.
Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Wellness Davidson Ishmael emphasized that cross-government interagency preparedness drills were completed well ahead of the season’s arrival to coordinate response plans, but individual public action remains a critical missing piece in the country’s flood mitigation strategy. Speaking out about his own observations of negligent waste behavior as a Barbadian citizen, Ishmael called for a radical shift in how residents approach community cleanliness and personal responsibility for waste disposal.
“I remain deeply concerned by the careless littering I see every day across the country,” Ishmael stated. “I watch drivers toss trash out of car windows while moving down the road. I have even seen people drop food wrappers directly on the ground just steps outside their own front porches.” He explained that this casual negligence has dangerous downstream consequences: discarded debris rarely stays in the spot it is dropped. Wind and rain carry waste into storm drains, where it accumulates to clog the island’s water runoff infrastructure.
Contrary to common assumption that severe flooding only accompanies major hurricanes, Ishmael noted that even weak, passing weather systems that bring heavy rainfall can trigger destructive flooding when drains are blocked by plastic, food wrappers, plastic bags, and other improperly discarded waste. “When drainage systems are blocked, what should be a harmless, easy runoff of rainwater becomes dangerous flooding,” he explained. “That flooding can trap residents in their homes, preventing them from moving in and out, and causes widespread damage to personal property – everything from personal vehicles to residential structures.”
To help residents and community groups properly dispose of large waste items that often contribute to clogging and illegal dumping, Ishmael highlighted two ongoing government initiatives that are available year-round to reduce community waste buildup. The first is a free coordinated bulk waste collection service run by the country’s Sanitation Service Authority (SSA). For large unwanted items such as old mattresses, bed frames, and out-of-use household appliances that cannot be disposed of through regular weekly collection, residents or community groups can coordinate with the SSA to schedule a dedicated collection day. Teams will collect all pre-organized bulk waste from a designated central location using specialized heavy equipment at no additional cost to residents.
The second available resource is a commercial skip rental service also operated through the SSA, designed specifically for organized community clean-up events. Ishmael explained that any neighborhood planning a clean-up drive can rent a skip from the authority, fill it with collected waste over the course of the event, and the SSA will then transport the full skip and its contents away after the activity concludes.
Beyond pre-season preparation, Ishmael also outlined the SSA’s core role in post-storm recovery, noting that the agency is on standby to mobilize immediately to clear accumulated debris and waste from impacted communities following any hurricane or severe storm. He also reminded residents to address another common preventable hazard ahead of the season: securing loose outdoor items that can become dangerous airborne projectiles during high winds. This includes galvanized metal sheeting – which is commonly used for property fencing, outdoor sheds, and even small animal enclosures across the island – which should be tightly secured with nails and additional bracing where needed. Residents are also advised to remove or secure any loose lumber or other loose materials stored around residential properties well before any severe weather arrives to eliminate avoidable safety risks.
Ishmael’s remarks come as part of broader national public outreach to encourage individual preparedness ahead of what forecasters have predicted could be an active Atlantic hurricane season, stressing that collective small changes in public behavior can drastically reduce the risk of preventable damage and disruption.