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The Daily Herald reports today that, last Friday, the new campaign to introduce and promote recycling on Saba was presented to the public during a Sea and Learn session.
(Photo The Daily Herald)
Friday’s presentation at the annual environmental awareness event was given by project leader for Waste Management at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment Remco Noordermeer, who has worked in the waste-management industry for more than 20 years.
Noordermeer explained how the recycling programme for the island will work. Waste will be separated into two different categories: dry recyclables and non-recyclable waste.
Dry recyclables will consist of waste streams that are recyclable, such as plastic bottles, cans, glass, paper, cardboard, as well as small electric appliances and batteries.
Non-recyclable waste consists of leftovers from food and other household waste.
Households and businesses will receive two garbage bins for outside storage and a hard plastic basket for indoor use, both to assist in the separation. A grey bin will be used for non-recyclable waste, while an orange bin and indoor basket will be used for dry waste.
The garbage will be transported to the landfill in Fort Bay, where dry waste will be manually separated.
A schedule will be provided to households and business on the frequency of waste pickup.
Once the waste is separated, the cans, paper, cardboard, small appliances and batteries will be stored until there are sufficient quantities to package in bulk and ship to a third party off-island. This third party is responsible for transporting the waste to the appropriate recycling facilities.
Non-recyclable waste that cannot be transported off island will be burned in a two-stage incinerator. This incinerator is fuelled by diesel and heats the waste to 800 degrees Celsius. Once that temperature is attained, the
waste is pushed to the second stage where it is heated to 1,200 degrees. After this burn, when all materials have been separated properly, the only remnants should be ash, which will be removed and buried on site.
Government Information Service Officer Vito Charles explained the communication plan for the recycling project. He explained the aims of the plan, which are to create awareness of and participation in the new island-wide recycling initiative and to change the mindset of how residents look at waste and to develop an understanding of the benefits of recycling for Saba and the environment.
Charles elaborated on the various target groups and the methods of communication that will be used to reach them.
Commissioner of Public Works and Health Bruce Zagers, who was not able to be in attendance, stated in a letter read to the audience that, “After many years of submitting proposals, requesting funding, and debating the obvious, there is finally light at the end of the tunnel. We have been able to construct a plan which will drastically improve
waste management on Saba as we know it.”
Recycling is slated to begin in January 2015.
I applaud the effort towards recycling.
However, I wonder about this incinerator. Don’t we already have an incinerator, and yet garbage is still being burnt? And it is so smartly burnt on school mornings, to not only pollute the community of St. Johns’ lungs but all of the children that attend school as well.
And what will happen with larger items, such as car tires which pile up ‘to be sent away’, collect water, and breed mosquitoes? With the way things are now, the tires just sit there multiplying while they await being sent to some elusive, mythical third party.
I also wonder, has any research been done on any health hazards the incinerators may cause?
I do not want to seem negative, but too often our people make decisions and do not do the necessary research on maintenance, health hazards, etc.