Fifteen Antiguans and Barbudans have graduated as the country’s latest cohort of litter prevention wardens, as the country continues to fight against illegal dumping and littering.

The wardens completed several months of training from December 2024 to February 2025, passing final examinations to meet requirements set by the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA).

Under an initiative spearheaded by the non-profit organisation, Integrated Health Outreach Inc (IHO), in partnership with the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), a cadre of up to 50 willing residents were initially trained — with only 15 completing the training — to monitor communities within the North-East Marine Management Area (NEMMA) stretching from Shell Beach to Mill Reef.

The wardens are now legally empowered under the Litter Control and Prevention Act, 2019 to enforce littering regulations and issue penalties.

“We continue to look at our environment…and we see the biodiversity and they have answered the call to protect it,” IHO’s Director of Operations Britney McDonald said.

“They would have met [at the Multipurpose Cultural Centre] and they would have gone over different exercises, would have practiced what it would be like in the courtroom to defend our nation’s beauty, [and] wildlife.”

The General Manager of NSWMA, Indira James Henry, said the wardens will serve as ambassadors of environmental responsibility, working on the front lines to educate the public and ensure environmental laws are upheld.

“Antigua and Barbuda is depending on you,” James-Henry told the graduates. “Let your actions reflect the training you have received and the standards we uphold at the National Solid Waste Authority.”

“You are now a part of a dedicated and essential force that will help to shape a cleaner and more responsible Antigua and Barbuda,” she added.

“Enforcing the law is important but so, too, is winning the hearts and minds of the citizens of Antigua and Barbuda.

As you work in communities across the island, Minister [Sir Molwyn] Joseph encourages you to use your position to educate, uplift, correct, encourage and demonstrate what true leadership looks like.”

The initiative was funded by the World Bank Global Partnership for Social Accountability, the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, and the Carolina Foundation as part of a four-year regional project focused on conservation and biodiversity.

IHO Executive Director Dr Nicola Bird explained that the project followed a social accountability approach, with communities working alongside government to address local problems. Surveys in the Northeast Marine Management Area communities consistently identified illegal dumping and littering as major concerns.

“This is the beginning of us moving forward for citizens to be engaged in the solutions alongside our government departments,” Dr Bird said. “We look forward to seeing the success of this project, to see it grow and more people in the communities to come on board, to be trained and engaged.”

Speaking on behalf of her classmates, one of the graduates, Rosanne Pyle — who is also president of the IHO Nature Rangers — said the group answered “a call to be civic minded and to participate for something very worthwhile.”

“Whenever I drive around Antigua, I see the indiscriminate littering. I see people just tossing wrappers out of buses and I say to myself, “well, would you do that at your house? “We, the first cohort, will definitely do our best to set the bar very high.”

During the ceremony, each warden received certificates, reflector jackets with “Litter Warden” identification, and body cameras.

Under the Litter Control and Prevention Act 2019, they have authority to issue fixed penalty notices of $1,000 for individuals and $5,000 for corporations caught littering; request immediate cleanup of deposited litter; and institute legal proceedings for violations.

Volunteers must be prepared to appear in court to follow up on penalties that have been issued.

The wardens join a broader enforcement network that includes police officers, public health inspectors, environmental officers, and other government officials who serve as ex officio litter prevention wardens under the legislation.

The Act establishes penalties ranging from $1,000 to $15,000 depending on the violation, with additional consequences including suspension of driver’s licences and impounding the vehicles of repeat offenders.

Under the legislation, litter includes everything from bottles and food waste to construction debris and electronic waste.