Illegal dumping incident at the entrance of Laolao Beach where a total of 37 used tires were found. 17 February 2025 Photo: Mark Rabago
The Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands' parks and recreation director Micheal Cruz is frustrated about Saipan residents illegally dumping trash that is ending up on the ocean.
The weekend, Cruz was alerted by a social media post of an illegal dumping incident at the entrance of the popular Laolao Beach, where a total of 37 used tires were found.
"It's very disappointing that people would dump trash along that route because a lot of people use that route. It's a safety concern because it can collect insects when the water stays in the tires," he said.
Cruz said that he's in a quandary if the perpetrators are residents or not because no single resident would have 37 tires.
He suspects a commercial establishment threw the used tires illegally.
He said the government is surprised about hte on the number of tires that were dumped.
"Because we were there a couple days before that thing happened and there were no tires along the way."
Since then, the Parks and Recreation division has referred the matter to the Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality (BECQ).
Cruz hopes 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.
He said when the Parks and Recreation division see such incidents, especially where there a lot of kids use the recreational area, "we need to address those 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 his team 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."
Illegal dumping incident at the entrance of Laolao Beach where a total of 37 used tires were found. 17 February 2025 Photo: Mark Rabago
Cruz said trash thrown on the beach near the shoreline ultimately will find its way to the water.
"It damages our ecosystem. [It's] very frustrating when we see trash going into our water," he said.
"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."
He said the the Parks and Recreation division was there to assist.
"We're public servants, but we're not trash collectors. We do remove those trash because at the end of the day, [we] don't want those things getting into the water."
'There's no evidence'
Environmental Quality director Zabrina Cruz confirmed that they have investigated the case of the 37 tires illegally dumped at 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."
She admitted apprehending perpetrators of illegal dumping is challenging due 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.
She said then they take the immediate action to remove it to protect public health and the environment.
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," Saipan Mayor Ramon B Camacho said.
"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 environment 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."
