Here is a photo of an overflowing and smelly garbage skip that greeted a member of the BU family in the parking lot on a recent visit to Foul Bay, one of a diminishing number of large, scenic, and so far relatively unspoiled (by development) beaches in the island. The smelly and overflowing skip was first spotted on Sunday afternoon (11/12/2016) and a check on Monday (12/12/2016) confirmed that it was still there -smelly as ever. Does someone need to emulate David Davis of Weekend Water Warriors fame and start the GCW (Garbage Collection Warriors)?
Of course there is a larger issue.
The controversial and ill conceived Cahill Energy project has slipped off the radar and the push by government to implement a waste to energy plan appears to have been deprioritized. All sensible Barbadians agree we have to address the management of garbage (waste) in a sustainable manner. The idea that on a 166 square mile island we can continue to create dumps (cells) is the lazy politician’s way of addressing the growing problem. The BLP created Greenland landfill and the DLP’s Cahill Energy was stillborn thank God! Why this government would have made a decision to construct a gasification plant on the scale proposed is beyond imagination.
We have a waste management problem that we need to address as a country in a holistic way. Every day many of us observe children and adults indiscriminately dumping garbage all across Barbados WITHOUT fear. A view of the trenches as we walk along our streets reveal a dark side of Barbadians. Loose and bagged garbage tossed by the road-side, in canefields, on vacant lots and in other open spaces. Then there is the worrying behaviour of our young people et al throwing garbage from moving vehicles. What does this bode as far as arresting the growing problem of litter?
We have to frontally tackle the problem of waste (garbage) in Barbados by adopting a strategic approach.
- What is the vision and policy for the next 20 years to implement a waste to energy management plan?
- How will we educate our people to ensure the correct behaviour is exhibited at all times to align with the national plan?
- How will we enforce existing laws against littering?
- How will government efficiently execute the garbage collection task and how can private waste haulers be integrated into the plan?
- What about the recyclers like B’s, SBRC and the crying need to level the playing field? We (taxpayers) pay SBRC to receive predefined garbage and the others?
- etc
With the country smelling stink. Garbage piling high. Sewage leaking all over the place. We are none the wiser how the many problems associated with waste management will be alleviated in a time related plan. Minister Denis Lowe has adopted the style of his boss and speaks only on those rare occasions. This government is rapidly approach the end of a second term -can we say we have made progress as far as implementing a relevant waste management plan is concerned?
The blogmaster invites you to join the discussion.