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The Island Government of Saba issued an update on Thursday on the recycling program “Recycle for Saba”, which recently began on the island. The recycling facility is fully operational and all machines are being used on a regular basis to separate and process all dry recyclables. Additionally there is significant improvement in the efficiency of the sorting and bailing at the facility as the operators have become more proficient at these tasks.
From the dry recyclables that are being received at the facility there are concerns about how residents separate their waste at the household. Residents are reminded to refer to the information that was provided when they received their basket and separate their waste accordingly. All bathroom waste and food waste are considered non – recyclables and should be deposited into the grey bin. Residents are also urged not to use garbage bags for the recyclable waste as these items should be loosely placed into the orange garbage containers. There will be information sessions in the near future and persons are encouraged to attend them to understand how they can become better at recycling.
The new medical grade incinerator which burns garbage at high temperature is currently not in use, and this is due to a technical fault of the manufacturer. The hydraulic piston which is used to push garbage into the incinerator was damaged due to the fact that the release valve on the hydraulic pump did not function in the manner it was supposed to. The same defect occurred with the incinerator on St. Eustatius. In the meantime technicians from the manufacturer have been to the island and a new hydraulic piston has been ordered. The contractor is awaiting the replacement which should arrive on the island shortly. As soon as the piston is installed the incinerator will be put in use immediately. The Airburner which was previously used to burn the garbage has been repaired and will be used to burn garbage until the incinerator is operation.
While the Airburner and the incinerator have been out of operation the non-recyclables have been buried as much as possible. Unfortunately this has led to an increase in the fly population on the island. In order to reduce the fly population this garbage will be openly burned on Friday night. Residents are advised to take the necessary precautions because of this inconvenience. The Island Government apologizes for having to take such a measure but this is necessary to help solve the fly issue. This open burning is expected to be a one-time issue as the Airburner will be put in use as of Friday and the incinerator should be operational by the end of next week.
Press release GIS Saba, April 9, 2015