August 1st, 2017 -- There is a cost to waste diversion, which can be addressed greatly by implementing waste to energy. That is the view of General Manager of the Solid Waste Management Corporation Alphonso Bridgewater. Waste diversion or landfill diversion is the process of diverting waste from landfills. Speaking recently to participants at the Organization of American States (OAS) supported Sustainable Cities Course at the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College, Mr. Bridgewater stressed that waste diversion is costly. “How you store, collect, transport, did and treat (waste). You have to see (waste) diversion in that circle and it becomes a vicious cycle depending on our intervention and what strategies we use, he said.
To strengthen his point, the SWMC General Manager pointed out that some ship waste like pallets used for shipping cargo, could be good fuel for waste to energy plants. “There is an additional concern with the pallets. They are very infested…if we had waste to energy, it makes a good source for that particular thing,” Mr. Bridgewater said.
Still on the subject of ship generated wastes, Mr. Bridgewater pointed to the challenges the corporation faces in dealing with this issue. One major area of conflict is managing waste generated on the island versus waste generated by tourists on board cruise ships. “We have 1 million visitors a year…they alone could fill (the landfill). We didn’t build this landfill for the tourists so I will cater for what we have and they will come afterwards. But it is a major conflict,” the SWMC General Manager said.
Mr. Bridgewater in his presentation indicated that the culture and character of a country, determines the state of affairs of waste disposal. “Most countries, especially those that are tourism bound, takes on a characteristics based on the statistics they produce saying whether this country is dirty or not,” Mr. Bridgewater said. “The character of that country is determined by the industries we have. We don’t have many industries but we conduct certain activities. One of those things…is tourism. It impacts (the) kind of strategies as it pertains diverting waste,” he explained.
*************************
DISCLAIMER
This article was posted in its entirety as received by SKNVibes.com. This media house does not correct any spelling or grammatical error within press releases and commentaries. The views expressed therein are not necessarily those of SKNVibes.com, its sponsors or advertisers
.jpg)