By The Star
How innovators in the private sector are helping solve the Caribbean’s waste crisis
It’s not easy convincing companies to care about their waste but Saint Lucian entrepreneur Wayne Neale is doing just that. Managing Director of waste management and recycling firm Greening the Caribbean, Neale is helping the private sector set an example by introducing environmentally friendly practices that are good for the earth, and companies’ bottom line.
Greening the Caribbean (GtC) began operations in 2014, handpicking select clients to see where it could make the biggest impression. “I look at particular types of clients and waste streams that can have the greatest environmental impact,” says Neale. “We then offer them a competitive alternative to their current waste management system. It’s cost effective, we provide a high level of service and they get brand value by being more environmentally responsible. It requires a higher level of accountability from them, but clients see, feel and appreciate the difference.”
GtC’s services include consultancy, collection and recycling. The company instructs businesses on how to divert their waste into the categories of garbage, trash and waste —determining what should go to landfill and what can be re-directed for processing at GtC’s resource recovery centre in Castries. The distinction is important, according to Neale, who says getting the language right is key. “The general perception of waste in the Caribbean is very archaic. Anything that a business is finished with, they generally consider garbage. There’s no clear understanding of the difference between garbage, trash and waste. Most people perceive it as one thing—garbage—but trash is just something you have finished with and waste is something you dispose of that can be repurposed.
“When we approach a business we have to introduce that concept to them. There is that training component.”
GtC recycles bottles, cans, cardboard and e-waste. Neale defines the latter as “any item that uses electricity and/or contains a circuit board” and says this makes up the bulk of GtC’s recovered materials. All materials are sorted and processed at the company’s site and most is then exported, usually to markets in Asia.
Neale’s priority is getting recyclable materials out of landfill and off the island. He says there is a waste crisis happening in the region and wants to play his part. “There is a lack of strong environmental law in the Caribbean. Governments have not put a waste management infrastructure in place, they only have a waste disposal infrastructure.”
WASTE CRISIS
It may be small geographically, but the Caribbean is one of the biggest contributors to the world’s waste. According to figures from the World Bank, the region generates around 160m tonnes each year—and Saint Lucia is one of the Caribbean’s worst offenders, producing 4.35kg per person, per day.
This waste falls under the purview of the Saint Lucia Solid Waste Management Authority (SLSWMA) which was established in 1996 and operates the country’s two refuse operations, Deglos sanitary landfill and
Vieux Fort’s solid waste management facility. In 2014, these sites processed over 74,000 tonnes worth of garbage.
Most waste authorities in the Caribbean rely on landfills but dumps are increasingly becoming an undesirable and unsustainable solution. On islands where land is a scarce and expensive resource, sprawling dump sites are taking over valuable property. In addition, these sites can pose serious health risks. Poorly-managed landfills can catch fire and leakage of unsanitary materials into the water table is also a risk, as is the spread of disease from landfill pests such as insects and rodents.
