Getting ‘tired’ of illegal dumping

02/26/25 - Division of Parks and Recreation director Michael Cruz is literally tired of illegal dumping on Saipan.

The weekend before President’s Day last Feb. 17, he was alerted by a social media post of an illegal dumping incident at the entrance of Laolao Beach where a total of 37 used tires were found.

“We did remove the 37 tires. It's very disappointing that people would dump trash along that route because a lot of people use that route. And, you know, it's a safety concern because it can collect insects, you know, when the water stays in the tires.”

Cruz commented that he’s in a quandary if the perpetrators are residents or not because no single resident would have 37 tires. So, he suspects it’s a commercial establishment—perhaps a tire shop—that threw the used tires illegally. 

“Even us, we were surprised. We were surprised on the [number] of tires that were dumped one time. Because we were there a couple days before that thing happened and there were no tires along the way.”

Since then, Parks & Rec has referred the matter to the Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality and it’s Cruz’s hope that BECQ would eventually catch the culprits.

Aside from the illegal dumping of used tires at Laolao Beach, Cruz said his staff also had to clean up an illegal dumpsite at the Navy Hill basketball court, just right below the Tinian and Rota Guesthouse. 

“I guess they found it easier to dump it there instead of going to the transfer station. But when we see those things especially where we have a lot of kids using the recreational area, like the basketball courts, we need to address those stuff because we don't want those kids to be playing around with those trash. We don't know where [those] came from,” he said.

And then there’s the recent incident in Tank Beach where Parks & Rec found household garbage illegally dumped in the recycling bins.

“We emptied the trash [bin] and we found some envelopes with names. But I just have to let these guys know that when we find those things, we don't just dump it in. We give them a call. If they don't respond, then we ask BECQ. Because there's a law that BECQ has to coordinate with all government agencies that are in the litter control program. By law, the [Department of Land and Natural Resources] has to be involved, including the [Saipan] Mayor's Office, for the Little Control Act to implement to start giving citations.”

Cruz said at the end of the day, trash specially thrown on the beach near the shoreline ultimately will find its way to the water. 

“It damages our ecosystem, especially next to the shoreline. [It’s] very frustrating when we see trash going into our water... If you have trash, bring it to the trash station and dump it properly. We can't always go down and pick up everybody's trash. Like I told my staff, we're here to assist. We're public servants, but we're not trash collectors. And we do remove those trash because at the end of the day, us here at DLNR don't want those things getting into the water.”

Division of Environmental Quality director Zabrina Cruz confirmed that they’ve indeed investigated the case of the 37 tires illegally dumped at the entrance to Laolao Beach.

“Immediately, we forwarded it to our litter control officer to investigate that. However, nothing was found as far as information that could lead to the responsible parties. And from that, the partners, I believe Parks & Rec, responded to that alongside our litter control officer here at the DEQ and they had cleaned up the area and did not find any evidence.” 

And to add insult to injury, the DEQ official admitted actually apprehending perpetrators of illegal dumping is challenging due, typically, to the lack of evidence.

“Whenever we do find illegal dumping sites, we do an investigation to find evidence to see who is the responsible party so that we can take care of the issue. However, if there's no evidence, then it leads us to not have a way forward to communicate with the person who was responsible. So, instead, we take the immediate action to remove it. And like I mentioned, this is really to protect public health and the environment. And in regards to the overall illegal dumping issue, we've been bringing this up with our partners in the litter control regulation.”

She then enumerated DEQ’s partners in the Litter Control Program, namely Parks & Rec, Department of Public Safety, Office of Attorney General, Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality, Department of Lands and Natural Resources, Environmental Health Disease Prevention, Environmental Health and Disease Prevention, Department of Public Works, Commonwealth Zoning Office, and Department of Public Lands.

Zabrina admitted that the last time there was an anti-littering law officers training was in 2017 and it’s now 2025.

“The important thing is also to reestablish the procedures at least once a year. So, we've been reaching out at the administrative level to communicate with them. But of course, we understand there's priority. But up to when, right, will we have to hold on to collaborate on this? And this is my call to our partners to let's get together and really put this, if not at the top of our priority list, but on the list of high priority that EHDP address and we equip. So, the important thing is to equip our employees from those respective agencies with the knowledge and the procedures of how to address this. If they catch them or if not, and what do we do in both case scenarios, whether we do have a responsible party or we don't, it still needs to be addressed,” she said. 

The Saipan Mayor’s Office said Saipan Mayor Ramon “RB” B. Camacho has the following statement regarding the recent rash of illegal dumping incidents.

“The mayor humbly asks and reminds our residents to be mindful and responsible when disposing of their trash. Although the mayor's office has been assisting villages throughout Saipan with the picking up of trash and debris, it is also the responsibility of the residents to ensure their areas are clean and safe not only for themselves but for their neighbors.”

Camacho added that illegal dumping is not only a burden to those who have to mitigate it, but overall downgrades the environmental quality of the island community.

“Such an unclean and unhealthy environment is not only an eye sore but can also be detrimental to our environmental and personal health. We all have a collective responsibility to maintain the cleanliness and beauty of our islands.”

Camacho said the crux of the village cleanups the Saipan Mayor's Office has been conducting the past year was to assist our people in cleaning up their residential areas or "starting with a clean slate." 

“In that way, everyone can start off on an equal footing in maintaining cleanliness in their residential areas. The mayor's motto, ‘Safe Community, Safe Village, and a Clean Island,’ not only reflects the mission of the mayor's staff but is also an ideal vision of what our community should be, a safe community for our people, especially for our youth, safe village for our residents, and a clean island for residents and tourists.”

Camacho said the Saipan Mayor's Office will continue its cleaning and beautification efforts around the island but also encourages the community to be conscious of their environment and dispose of their waste in a clean and responsible manner.

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Story by Mark Rabago