The average person in T&T generates approximately four pounds of garbage waste daily, each Port-of-Spain inhabitant generates 1.54 kg of garbage daily and every month in T&T, 50 million plastic bottles and one million glass bottles are dumped, according to Solid Waste statistics, Environment Minister Ganga Singh has said.
He spoke on Tuesday in Parliament, piloting a bill for the establishment of a waste recycling management authority and a resource recovery fund to facilitate the efficient co-ordination for the implementation of a waste-recycling system that would protect human health and the environment.
Singh said: “A phenomenal growth in waste production in T&T, brought about by our increasing standard of living, has unfortunately not been mirrored in the advancement in waste management.
“There exists no segregation of garbage, very little reuse and recycling of waste, limited landfill capacities, weak legislative and management systems, high costs and a lack of education of the general public relating to alternative waste management such as recycling.”
He said: “The solution to waste management issues must be initiated now.
“A system of waste management that incorporates the principles of the four Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle and rethink.
“It looks at the aspect of waste diversion with different waste types and processes required for special collection, transportation and final disposal identified.
“Statistics for waste generation in T&T are alarming. The generation rate of garbage for the city of Port-of-Spain is 1.54 kg per inhabitant per day.
“Every month we dump 50 million plastic bottles and one million glass bottles. That is 600 million plastic bottles and 12 million glass bottles each year.
“The average person generates approximately four pounds or 2.2 kilogrammes of waste a day which amounts to 1,548 tonnes of waste reaching waste-disposal sites a day.
“Well over 80 per cent of residential waste is recyclable and the residential stream represents two-thirds of overall waste generated in T&T.”
He said to prevent the problem assuming crisis proportions later, T&T needed to prolong the lifespans of landfills.
One way of doing this is by reducing, via recycling, the amount of waste reaching landfills.
He said landfills receive grass cuttings, food waste, plastic containers, old microwaves, car batteries and even hazardous waste, since there is no segregation of waste in households.
“People’s dump includes batteries, fluorescent lights, needles, cellphones, radios, computers and television sets via municipal waste-disposal systems, completely unaware they contain hazardous substances like toxic mercury, cadmium, nickel, arsenic and lead.
“I had initial discussions with the Minister of Science/Technology on a specific programme regarding electronic (e)-waste, similar to dealing with beverage containers.
“Discarded tyres, particularly, present environmental and public health risks. Tyres routinely end up in rivers contributing to flooding.”
He said tyres in landfills did not deteriorate and provided breeding grounds for mosquitoes and rodents. Burning for the recovery of copper wire exacerbated fires, plus caused harmful emissions.
He said: “It’s critical an immediate short-term solution be determined for the environmentally-sound disposal of waste tyres.
“Within this week, I’ll present for Cabinet’s consideration a proposed solution on the use of waste tyres in road-paving and use in the manufacture of rubberised asphalt.”
He said the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) would soon initiate the Recyclable Solid Waste Collection Project to prepare T&T for the passage of the EMA Solid Waste Rules and this waste recycling management authority.
The project establishes drop-off collection sites and depots for sorting.
Tyres and e-waste from the public will be collected. Primary and secondary schools will also be engaged in the collection initiative.
Through stakeholder consultation, the Government has also been able to develop the Beverage Container Regulations being subsequently laid in the Parliament.
Groups will meet with the Government today to further enhance the bill.