Thursday 26 November – Residents on Jost Van Dyke turned out to discuss their concerns about solid waste disposal practices on the sister island during a recent community meeting hosted by the Solid Waste Department.
Solid Waste Manager Mr. Anslem Myers opened the forum with an explanation of the department’s role and the services provided. He said, “All members of the Jost Van Dyke community need to thoroughly appreciate the direct link between poor waste disposal habits and the reduction in revenue generated by tourism on the island.”
Mr. Myers added that the Territory has been receiving complaints from residents and tourists regarding the poor waste disposal practises throughout the Virgin Islands. He advised that “in order for the Virgin Islands to remain globally competitive as a tourism destination, local attitudes about waste management had to change”.
Residents agreed and shared some of the daily challenges they face in their personal attempts to comply with the department’s instructions for waste disposal.
One concerned resident explained that “although the department worked diligently to maintain the cleanliness of the bins, persons continued to dump large amounts of bulky waste such as pallets, toilets and mattresses around the bins.”
Furthermore the resident added that “a bin could be a few feet away and some persons would still litter the area with their soda cans and other trash”.
Another resident reported that some of the local restaurant owners continued to place food waste inside of residential dumpsters instead of carrying it directly to the dumpsite and this practice in turn created a serious problem with flies.
After hearing the concerns, Waste Education Officer Ms. Nadia James-Lord affirmed that the department would seek to visibly increase its presence on Jost Van Dyke and work closely with the residents to combat the issues raised.
The forum was chaired by the Waste Education Officer with the discussions led by the Solid Waste Manager. The primary objectives of the meeting were to raise awareness on some of the issues that were plaguing the small community with regards to bulky waste disposal habits and open burning of waste around residential dumpsters, as well as to develop strategies to resolve the problems identified.
The Solid Waste Department is the government agency responsible for the collection and disposal of community solid waste, as well as the promotion of proper waste disposal practices.
British Virgin Islands News