TECHNOLOGIES USED IN THE MANAGEMENT OF SOLID WASTES IN THE CARIBBEAN

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TECHNOLOGIES USED IN THE MANAGEMENT OF SOLID
WASTES IN THE CARIBBEAN

• PRESENTED BY
• ALTON E. FORDE
• GENERAL MANAGER
• NATIONAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY
• ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA
• AT
• WASTE EXPERTS REVIEW WORKSHOP
• BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS
• 16TH TO 19TH DECEMBER, 2003

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INTRODUCTION
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SOLID WASTE TECHNOLOGIES

• Presentation will focus on
• Collection and Transportation
• Composting and Recycling
• Treatment and Disposal
• Handling of Special Wastes

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COLLECTION AND TRANSPORTATION

• Waste collection and transport are the most
  publicly visible aspect of MSW.
• Usually the area with most public complaints
  arising from deficiencies.
• Consumes approximately 10-20 of Authorities
  total operating budge per year.

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COLLECTION AND TRANSPORTATION (CONTD)

• High public visibility and high cost of waste
  collection makes it an important area for
  agencies to improve performance.
• OECS/SWMP has realized significant improvement in
  the collection and transportation of solid waste.

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COLLECTION AND TRANSPORTATION (CONTD)

• Collection service now more reliable, efficient
  and expeditious with the use of compactors
  (packer) trucks and proper routes development.
• Development and implementation of collection
  schedules.

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COLLECTION AND TRANSPORTATION (CONTD)

• Certain types of wastes are still being collected
  in some communities using unconventional methods.
• Collection are made at curbside.

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COMPOSTING AND RECYCLING

• Training in composting provided to Technicians
  under OECS/SWMP.
• Separation and composting of organic materials
  for use as a soil conditioner, fertilizer or
  growth medium is common practice in some OECS
  Countries on varying scales. Backyard, Hotels,
  Communities (Antigua) Disposal Site (St.
  Vincent)

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COMPOSTION AND RECYCLING (CONTD)

• Finished compost used in agricultural
  applications.
• Every tonne extracted from the waste stream means
  that there is a tonne less that needs to be
  managed.

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COMPOSTING AND RECYCLING (CONTD)

• The most effective waste management systems are
  those that effectively combine high service
  standards with high rates of materials recovery
  and recycling.

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RECYCLING

• Recycling plays a critical role in reducing waste
  quantities, returning resources back to use and
  minimizing the financial and environmental burden
  of managing MSW.

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RECYCLING (CONTD)

• Recycling will become even more critical as
  quantities of waste and in particular consumer
  packaging increase.
• Markets for recyclable exists in French West
  Indies (plastics, aluminum, glass) Trinidad
  (glass) Venezuela (paper and paper board).

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WASTE TREATMENT AND DISPOSAL

• Waste treatment is often seen as a magic
  solution to the growing political problem of
  waste.
• Application of waste treatment technologies
  usually develop problems.
• Overoptimistic assessment of technical
  institutional and financial feasibility along
  with technical skills and available operation and
  maintenance.

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WASTE TREATMENT AND DISPOSAL (CONTD)

• Major cause of failure of investment in waste
  treatment technology.
• Be realistic about viability and practicability
  of MSW treatment technologies and cautious about
  committing to large investments.

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SANITARY LANDFILLING

• Waste disposal by landfill is an essential part
  of any waste management system.
• There is always a significant fraction of the
  waste stream that cannot be treated and waste
  treatment process residue that require disposal
  by landfill.
• Sanitary landfills is the major technology
  employed for treatment/disposal of wastes
  throughout the Caribbean.

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SANITARY LANDFILLING (CONTD)

• With careful planning, design, construction and
  operation, landfill can be a safe, cost-effective
  and environmentally acceptable means of MSW final
  disposal.
• Countries are challenged to put sanitary
  landfills in place that provide an acceptable
  degree of environmentally health and safety
  protection at an affordable cost.

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SANITARY LANDFILLING (CONTD)

• Significant improvements can be made to the
  standard of waste disposal with very limited
  finances.
• Key areas for initial attention include
• Obtaining budgets and approvals
• Rationalizing operations.
• Carrying out basic civil engineering works.
• Establish an effective management system.

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SPECIAL WASTES

• TIRES
• Tires do not sit well in landfills. They tend to
  float to the surface.
• Tires being separated at source and brought to
  the disposal site in dedicated vehicles (Antigua).

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SPECIAL WASTES (CONTD)

• Huge piles of tires presently exist at a number
  of disposal sites in the region.
• Recycling opportunities exit at Guadeloupe.
• Tire baling is being done in Antigua with baled
  tires used in a number of applications.

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HAZARDOUS WASTES

• MEDICAL WASTES
• Medical waste is being collected in dedicated
  vehicles and transported to disposal site where
  it is landfilled (Antigua).
• Incineration of medical wastes being done on
  hospital compound.
• Disinfection of medical wastes is being done
  through process of Autoclaving Shredding followed
  by chemical disinfection still require disposal
  as special waste (St. Lucia)

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HAZARDOUS WASTES (CONTD)

• USED OILS
• Disposal methods presently employed in the region
  include
• Used as fuel in electricity generation or heater
  (Antigua).
• Re-refining into lubricating oil (Trinidad).
• Landfarming application (Antigua).

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HAZARDOUS WASTES (CONTD)

• BATTERIES
• Batteries are exported for recycling (Antigua).
  Acid is drained to neutralize the batteries.
  They are then stored in container and shipped to
  Venequela.

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THANK YOU!