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VI neck deep in waste crisis- Hon. Pickering

- Says VI will outgrow its solid waste incineration capacity in few short years
February 23rd, 2012 | Tags: Solid Waste Environment Local Dr. Kedrick Pickering
The management of solid waste is regarded as one of the most important issues affecting the environment of the Virgin Islands
Dr. Kedrick Pickering
Dr. Kedrick Pickering
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI- Minister for Natural Resources and Labour Dr. Kedrick Pickering believes the management of solid waste is one of the most important issues affecting the environment of the Virgin Islands.

“The Virgin Islands is neck deep in this waste crisis. We produce more solid waste more than we have ever. At the current rate we will outgrow the combined capacity of the new incinerator in just a few short years,” Dr. Pickering said while delivering remarks at the opening of a 2-day seminar on Greening the Economy on February 22, 2012 at Treasure Isle.

Concern was also expressed about the management of waste water and according to Dr. Pickering, it is extremely important that “we absolutely must be aware and if we are concerned about living and passing on these islands we have to take strong actions now to rewrite the storyline”.

Meanwhile, Premier Dr. D. Orlando Smith said his Government is committed to facilitating the growth of a diversified economy where entrepreneurs are encouraged and assisted to become enviropreneurs. “The protection of our environment and of our biodiversity offers us some stiff challenges but it also offers opportunities for innovators to become involved in the rapidly growing eco-sector of our economy. Five years ago, Green VI did not exist but now it collects used glass products and makes beautiful jewellery and art from items that we used to throw away. Twenty years before that our national hero, Noel Lloyd, began using discarded metals to make sculptures of found art.”

Premier Smith also said his Government was extremely optimistic about the future and about what can be achieved with the help of international resources like those made available under the auspices of initiatives such as BizClim where the public and private sectors are assisted to partner more effectively around environmental and other initiatives. “We know that both the United Kingdom and the European Commission will work with us to help us to achieve our goals for sustainability and I welcome the opportunities presented by this workshop.”

15 Responses to “VI neck deep in waste crisis- Hon. Pickering ”

  • @Crank Shaft (23/02/2012, 08:34) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    At the current rate we will outgrow the combined capacity of the new incinerator in just a few short years. The incinerator hasen't even been in use one year. Seems like a mighty mighty poor decision by someone.
  • QICK SAND (23/02/2012, 10:27) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    so pickering doing ronnie work and myron doing pickering wor...jeez unm bread we not sure who in charge of this ndp!!!
    • the wild thing! (23/02/2012, 11:41) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      at least the work getting DONE!!!! but its sad year after we might have to buy a new incenerator, bought by de previous government which only just went on stream! poor ting!! and talk dat!
  • Not2Sure (23/02/2012, 11:06) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    What a mess. But the current system is crazy - they don't separate the waste at all, so bottles and everything go into the incinerator. Then they have to shut it down, cool it off, and chip out all the melted glass. It is a crazy system. Somone needs to look at the whole setup from the top down.
    • Solid Waste (24/02/2012, 19:13) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      Of course they sort the trash at the incinerator. No bottles are incinerated unless one or two gets in by mistake. Ask Cave Man. He's been sorting for years
  • No BAM BAM (23/02/2012, 13:46) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    I wonder how much the shipping cost were on the piece of junk incinerator the great deciders bought? The total cost and its lack of effectiveness can not be so easily bam bam bam. It cost more than fraser spend on sea cows bay and getting less praise.
    • Crank Shaft (23/02/2012, 14:21) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      I would be a man and say although I support NDP, I think Ronnie and the party made a mistake buying that incinerator when they did. Without a recycling program in place it's capacity is not enough for the BVI. HOWEVER, with that said, the real question is why it sat there for 5yrs before being instituted. Maybe that would have avoided the backlog that they have dealing with right now. As another person said, our problem here is not the incinerator, is the way we treat garbage on a whole. All that stuff shouldn't be going down there, it s hould be separated and dealt with properly. The incinerator will be destroyed trying to burn certain materials. We need a proper recycling program ASAP and we'll see a change. Lastly, the OLD incinerator needs to be replaced as well then we will have more than enough capacity.
      • Brobbins (23/02/2012, 16:16) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
        I believe the original intent of the incinerator was to reduce the volume of garbage going into the land fill, not completely eliminate it. Acknowledging all good comments regarding pricing, poor planning and late start up, its important to note that responsible and fact based solutions to eliminating all garbage going into Pockwood are expensive and require approximately 24-30 months to spec out, install and begin operation. There are no "buy off the shelf and install in 90 day" solutions although some would have the people believe that's not true. Regarding the concerns about the air emissions both the land fill (when burning) and the incinerator spreads over the local areas, those concerns are well founded and shared by all good citizens. The comments about recycling are good. Recycling is part of the formula to reduce waste and part of a solution to the entire problem as the percentage of goods that can be sucessfully recycled is meaningful but does not include items that produce methane and contributes to polluted water run off. A solution for those biodegradable items that decompose in the landfill and those items that cannot be economically recycled in conjunction with a viable recycling plan that does not cost the people money is the key to sucess.
  • E. Leonard (23/02/2012, 23:00) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    The. BVI is just a mere 59 square miles spread out over approximately 36 islands. As such it cannot allocate scarce land to build landfill(s) to handle its waste stream for 50 or even a hundred years. Instead, the best option is to process the waste stream mechanically by incineration. The question is why a state-of-the-art incinerator with a larger capacity and a longer lifecycle was not spec and installed. We should have anticipated that the BVI was growing and far from ultimate development. Thus the unit should have been designed with the capacity to absorb growth as it occurs. This is water under the bridge. Waste stream disposal is not of those problems that can be solved by procrastination. As such we need to create an urgency and attack the problem now. The next capital ptoject be designed with the capacity for longterm service. Moreover, we need to explore and implement recycling as a means of significantly reducing the tonnage of waste process by the incinerator. Another of concrrn is collecting, treating, and disposing of household and industrial waste. Collecting and discharging untreated sewerage into our sky blue water pose a threat to human health, impair our beaches/water, impacts tourism, degrade our quality of life and our standard of living. Untreated sewerage affects swimming, fishing, and other contact recreation. Again., this is a serious issue that affect human health and marine life. It is not a problem that can be addressed through procrastination. Sewerage treatment is an urgent problem. And like solid waste it should have addressed in 02.
    • Kermit (25/02/2012, 08:31) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      E.Leonard is right. Runoff combined with a failure to handle sewage needs is a huge threat to the wellbeing of the people and tourist dollars. The economy is based on two things: tourism and banking. They are the two largest contributors to the peoples well being. Take either of those away, what do ya have? When 50 percent of our economic foundation is threatened it requires action, not talk. A short list of not more than 10 projects needs to be established, funding sources identified, schedules to start and finish the projects set and kept. Unless this is done there will be more talk...and more talk...and more talk. The people need action....not talk. Those that have the knowledge have the responsibility to act. Others just talk. Lead, follow or get out of the way.
    • Kermit (25/02/2012, 08:53) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      E. Leonard....Other islands have handled their long term recycling & waste problems by bringing in waste to energy facilities that are being developed but they cost $30-$50 million. Read other islands news. They have a demonstrated willingness to take action based on their children's future and not one election cycle. There are companies that would pay for these facilities, like on other islands, recycle on site and use the remaining trash to make electricity...sell it back to BVIEC as the way to pay for the facility. No cost to the people. But, the gov't does not see the benefit of solving the trash problem and creating electricity or they have an unrealistic set of expectations for someone to pay for and build the facility??? The question needs to be asked...... and answered by the Ministers.
      • E. Leonard (25/02/2012, 11:38) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
        Kermit, true, there is research ongoing on the feasibility of converting solid waste into an energy source. I have not been keeping abreast of the progress. Can you provide a listing of regional countires that are turning thrash into cash. $30-50M rollout cost is pretty steep. Nonetheless, perhaps a feasibility study and a cost benefit analysis on the economics and practicality of the venture. Analysis completed, an ESCO(r.energy service company) can be engaged, ESCOs construct and retrofit utility system, provide guarantees on services, and paid through portion of savings. In event, a comprehensive and well structured recycling program may be able to significantly reduce the tonnage of waste processes by the incinerator. Recycling has worked in other locales. In fact it is being employed in areas with very large and available acreage for constructing landfills with a useful life of a 100 years or greater.
  • niko (12/04/2012, 02:53) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    The garbage takes many years to msdocpoee, give it time and it will all go away, put the speed to max if you havent, also make sure you leave some space set for landfill as the sims will start to use it more when the age, one other thing, hit the question mark and then touch the incinerators and recycling plants and make sure they are not over worked.


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