IMPROPER WASTE DISPOSAL

November 22, 2016 by amazingwonderwomen 2 Comments

 

 

Improper waste disposal in Santa Margarita, St. Augustine Photo by Nalini Maharaj

Introduction

Waste disposal can be defined as any method used to discard unwanted substances or materials. Poor waste disposal activities engender severe environmental problems on a location. Factors such as a rising population, industrial development, growing consumerism and technological advancement have strengthened the waste management problem in Trinidad and Tobago. For instance, according to the Trinidad and Tobago Solid Waste Management Company Limited (SWMCOL) (2011), the typical person creates roughly 4 pounds of waste per day which totals almost 1,000 tonnes of unwanted trash that is transported to landfills. Also, masses of waste are inappropriately discarded, which consequently pollutes rivers, streets, beaches, drains and all other areas in the environment. Suitable waste management practices are important to treating this issue. Waste management encompasses every function in dealing with waste namely collection from the waste producer, transference to a processing site, and selection of disposal methods (Helicon, 2016). These processes should have minimum impacts on the environment. Correct waste management practices are vital to achieving sustainable development objectives.

The Fishbone diagram was used to identify the main causes of the problem “Improper Waste Disposal in Trinidad” and it was agreed to use the six Ms (Manpower, Machines, Materials, Management, Mother Nature(environment), Methods) to evaluate the problem. This blog will discuss the major causes of improper waste disposal in Trinidad and provide recommendations to resolve each of them.

Caribbean islands among world’s ‘trashiest’ countries Trinidad and Tobago ranked No.1 

Methods

Some of the main waste disposal methods include:

• Incineration- The burning of waste materials at high temperatures to transform them into gases or residue.
• Landfill- A cost effective method of waste disposal that involves burying the waste in the land.
• Recycling- The conversion of waste material into new products. It aims to reduce strain on the environment by minimizing the waste that is added to the water, air and land.
• Open Dumping- A simple and inexpensive method which involves the deliberate disposal of garbage in an open space.
• Ocean Dumping- Occurs when sewage, garbage, construction debris, hazardous chemicals etc. are intentionally discarded at sea by ships, aircrafts and other man made machines. Incineration of trash at sea is also included in this definition.

The most popular and practiced method in Trinidad and Tobago is the landfill systems. The Beetham landfill for example, possesses 65% of the country’s wastes (SWMCOL, 2011). Unfortunately, this method has a time span attached to it because this site is expected to reach its maximum capacity within the next few years. Additionally, landfills require proper maintenance, planning, design and operation. They are also responsible for emitting toxic gases such as methane which are hazardous to residents in the neighbouring area. Public outcry has been made over the years concerning the nuisance of the landfill, reduction of property value and of course the environment (SWMCOL, 2011).

Open dumping is another method that is often done by regular folks. It incurs complications to society such as health hazards to people via the proliferation of insects and rodents, potential physical injury and contamination of groundwater and runoff pollution. Additionally, incineration is a widely used method by the average person. This can be problematic on a small scale because it requires skilled personnel and continuous observation to ensure that a wildfire does not ensue. This also causes the emission of ash and gases into the atmosphere which can cause respiratory problems; it is aesthetically unattractive for an area and produces an odious smell that residents would be subjected to. Ocean dumping is also problematic. This is harmful to the ecosystem because it makes the ocean overloaded with waste thus killing sea creatures, causing desalination and destroying food sources for marine life and subsequently mankind.

Materials

Home storage of solid waste is a common practice among households in Trinidad. Many households store their own waste in open containers ranging from baskets to plastic bags, making home storage unhygienic. Many of the household waste we observed in our communities(from both rural and urban communities), is solid waste generated from organic matter, which under prevailing tropical temperature, decomposes rapidly and produces bad odours. Decomposing organic waste when improperly stored in open containers for long periods become detrimental to everyone’s health because it increases the breeding of disease-carrying vectors like rodents and insects. The storage of organic wastes in open containers also attracts house flies in the household. Houseflies are vectors for various infectious diseases and transmit diseases through food contamination, either by direct contact with food or through their faecal matter giving rise to the high incidence of diarrhoea among children under 6 years, which is related to food contamination by flies.

Machines

The growth in the generation of solid waste and its varying composition are challenges throughout the country and so this has impacted on collection and disposal activities creating the need for increased collection capacity and the frequency in which it is done. According to the World Bank’s global review on solid waste management published in 2012, urbanization is a relevant variable in the solid waste generation equation at a global scale since “urban residents produce about twice as much waste as their rural counterparts” (World Bank, 2012).

Therefore, the amount of communal waste disposal bins and the number of times these bins are collected have to be proportionate to the growing number of residents in any given community. Furthermore, these bins which are usually very large help facilitate the collection of a large volume of waste at any given time. Insufficient communal disposal waste bins have been a major contributing factor to improper waste disposal throughout communities in Trinidad and Tobago, and in some cases the nonexistence of these bins. As such, this scarcity has led to many persons indiscriminately dumping of garbage wherever there are open and empty plots of land since there is no fixed place designated for this purpose.

Another major causal factor to improper waste disposal is the lack of recycle bins placed in communities whereby garbage can be disposed of according to its composition. In Trinidad and Tobago, it was estimated that “700,000 tons of solid waste reached the landfill in a year. However, 84 % of the items collected are considered recyclable and could be diverted from the landfills” (Riquelme et. al, 2016). By having recycle bins, individuals can now sort their waste such materials as newspapers; glass bottles and jars; tin and aluminium containers, plastic bottles and bags and mixed waste paper. Further, these bins introduce a level of structure to waste collection in communities which can potentially reduce the environmental costs of landfilling.

Furthermore, the addition of these recycle bins can serve as a complementary measure to the large communal bins. Infrequent collection of waste due to inadequate number of disposal vehicles only exacerbates the problem of improper waste disposal throughout Trinidad and Tobago. When waste is not collected on a frequent basis because of a shortage of collection vehicles, garbage piles up which can lead to animals foraging and spreading the garbage. This in turn can pose serious health risks to residents and also garbage collectors.

Management

Having a proper waste disposal system in Trinidad and Tobago has seems to be a challenge for the last twenty (20) odd years. According to the EMA (Environmental Management Authority 2014) recorded information about hazardous waste in Trinidad and Tobago is very sparse and difficult to access because of inadequate reporting systems; deficient data collection and data on hazardous waste are not continuously updated in Trinidad and Tobago.

Various policies has been written and taken to Parliament by various agencies and to date none has been implemented such as the National Waste Recycling Policy (Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago 2015), Bills Essentials -The Waste Recycling Bill, 2015 (Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago 2015). The main issues identified were inefficient or inadequate solid waste collection system; no proper recycling program in place; legislation not fully implemented and monitored; fines are too small for infractions against whatever legislated laws there are and not enough is being done to educate the population of the effects of improper waste disposal.

Manpower

As stated by Chioma Obinna, “Disposal of refuse without proper supervision often amounts damage to the environment and ultimately to the human body system.” Any person handling waste – from the workers that collect, to those who work at the dump. Professor Akin Osibogun, stated that ‘improperly disposed refuse has both direct and indirect health effects. The direct health effects arise from excessive breeding of vermin and agents of disease such as rats, flies and mosquitoes.’ Rats are known to transmit diseases such as leptospirosis, salmonellosis, and plague. Oshibogun noted that flies are implicated in transmission of diarrhoeal diseases such as shigellosis while mosquitoes are well known for transmission of Chickungunya, Dengue, Zika, and Malaria. Apart from infectious diseases, improper disposal of waste will also result to leaching and contamination of groundwater. The improper disposed refuse/waste can also cause injuries e.g. from broken bottles, rusted metal objects etc. resulting in cuts and slippery constituents resulting in falls. Waste also generates methane gas which is highly inflammable and improperly disposed refuse is therefore a fire hazard. Surface water contamination: Waste that ends up in water bodies negatively change the chemical composition of the water. Technically, this is water pollution. This will affect all ecosystems existing in the water. Hazardous chemicals that get into the soil (contaminants) can harm plants when they take up the contamination through their roots. If humans eat plants and animals that have been in contact with such polluted soils, there can be negative impact on their health. The bottom line is that bad waste management practices can result in land and air pollution and can cause respiratory problems and other adverse health effects as contaminants are absorbed from the lungs into other parts of the body.

Manpower /Groups at-risk for adverse public health impact of improper waste disposal:

1. Waste operators and garbage collectors.
2. Workers in facilities responsible for handling garbage especially toxic and cancer causing material and infectious waste.
3. People living close to waste disposal sites.
4. Population supplied with water polluted by waste dumping or by inadequately protected landfill sites.
5. Incinerator operators and those at the dumpsite exposed to chronic respiratory diseases resulting from exposure to dust and smoke, heat stress and loss of hearing.
6. The population of people from areas not serviced by garbage collection trucks and those who dispose of waste indiscriminately within their communities.
7. Children are more susceptible to suffering from respiratory disorders, skin disorders, and infectious diseases.

Mother Nature

According to Earthzine.org (2010) climate change is a serious international environmental concern and the subject of much research. International scientific circles has come to the growing consensus that the build-up of carbon dioxide (C02) and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere will lead to major environmental changes which includes rising sea levels that may flood coastal and river delta communities, the spread of infectious diseases and increased heat-related mortality, possible loss in biological diversity and other impacts on ecosystems as well as agricultural shifts such as impacts on crop yields and productivity.

  

Furthermore, climate change could result in changes in temperatures, cloud cover, rainfall patterns, wind speed, intense storms which can be contributing factors that can impact future waste management facilities’ development and operation. It is therefore necessary to consider potential changes in waste management over significant timescales and respond appropriately since Trinidad and Tobago, like most developing countries, is faced with increasing population and urbanization which pose major challenges for regional corporations to collect, recycle, treat and dispose of increasing quantities of solid waste, especially with a changing climate.

Moving forward…Action is required!

ACTION	BY WHOM	DEADLINE
Implement the outstanding policies and legislations	SWMCOL, Regional Corporations	Immediately
Encourage the reduction of waste production and its harmfulness through the development and marketing of products designed to have minimal environmental impact by nature of their manufacture, use or final disposal	Manufacturing Industry	Immediately
Encourage the recovery of waste, including recycling, reuse or reclamation and the use of waste as a source of energy	SWMCOL and Regional Corporations	Immediately
Establish recycling plants and form partnerships and alliances with both the private and public corporations	Government, SWMCOL and Private Companies	Within a year
Form partnerships and alliances with internationals recycling organisations	Government and   SWMCOL	Within One (1) to Two (2) years
Implement a national educational campaign on the proper methods of recycling and its benefits	SWMCOL and Regional Corporations and various Ministries	January 2017
Implement a country wide recycling program and communicate what the penalties would entail	SWMCOL and Regional Corporations	Within a year
Communicate how the waste should be sorted, such as, glass(blue bags/containers); plastic (green bags/containers); household (black bags); cardboard and papers (banded with tape); cans and foil packaging (clear bags)	SWMCOL, Regional Corporations	Within three (3) months
Establish competitions at the primary, secondary, tertiary and communities levels	Ministry of Education and Ministry of Social Development in conjunction with SWMCOL	January 2017 and ongoing
Give incentives for the communities that have the best records for recycling	SWMCOL and Regional Corporations	Within one (1) year of implementing the program
Agencies responsible for the recycling of the waste disposal to carry out continuous monitoring and evaluation to ensure that the various programs are effective and efficient	SWMCOL and Regional Corporations	Within six (6) months and ongoing
Document cases and referrals to monitor location and incidence and prevalence of diseases by Ministry of Health personnel at the local Health Centres in the communities to build data collection, to justify the importance of proper waste disposal.	Ministry of Health personnel at the local Health Centres in the various communities	Within (3) months and on-going
Introduction of a Waste Disposal Tax for businesses as a percentage calculated on their gross income.	Minister of Local Government through legislation passed through Parliament	Within three (3) months of bill passage
Formation of more and effective environmental bodies that is specifically assigned to ensure that residents of respective communities follow the proper procedure and protocol in waste disposal through law enforcement. Example: Increased amounts of Environmental Police, Increased fines, strict penalties, Monitoring and patrol networks and stations within each community.	Ministry of Environment and Water Resource alongside Ministry of National Security.	Within three (3) months of establishment
Investments into the waste disposal sector. Purchasing of more machinery, equipment and increase the number of employees (garbage collectors).To boost collection of waste in a timely and effective manner. Example: Clean up Trucks and Garbage collectors within communities.	Government and SWMCOL	Within three (3) months
Innovative and Technological advancements in waste management. Example: Waste Collection Vehicles with inspection systems, cameras, sensors, optical sorting systems.	Government	Within One (1) Year
Regular and Updated Training Programs for all staff under the waste collection sector. These programs will educate and update workers on safety, proper and efficient techniques to change and enhance the waste disposal culture for Trinidad and Tobago.	SWMCOL	Within One (1) Month

Conclusion

Our research made us aware of the causal factors contributing to improper waste disposal in Trinidad, using the 6 M’s – Methods, Materials, Machines, Management, Manpower and Mother Nature. Access to safe disposal facilities is limited for many households especially in rural areas and this results in indiscriminate disposal practices (as seen in the photographs) – improper burning and burial of solid waste. Our deteriorating environmental quality is a major cause of high incidences of infectious diseases. These problems obstruct in no small way the probability of sustainable development. An efficient solid waste management system remains an appropriate tool for achieving sound environmental practices in Trinidad and Tobago.

Improving access to safe disposal facilities, in addition to conducting awareness campaigns on the health impacts of poor sanitation, will help to alleviate the problems of improper waste disposal and eventually improve the quality of the environment in all of the communities. Recycling mountains of waste into useful resources will create jobs for recyclers, while improving the environment by reducing discriminate disposal, the amount of waste being disposed in landfills and the depletion of resources.

Metals such as aluminium cans can be recovered and sold to small-scale recyclers to produce valuable items such as cooking utensils, furniture to compete with imports. Organic waste can be composted and used as fertilizer in farms and to help reduce reliance on inorganic fertilizers. Some waste recycling is usually undertaken by individual recyclers, who should be integrated into the waste management stream in order to realize the benefits of their contributions to environmental management in Trinidad.

Furthermore, individual recyclers can be mobilized into corporative organizations to pull their resources together for investment and they can also be provided with training, protective clothing and equipment to prevent accidents, infections and deaths. The Government of Trinidad and Tobago and the Solid Waste Management Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SWMCOL) must also provide incentive packages to attract private investors into the sector through a transparent, competitive bidding and procurement process for contracts. Implementing, monitoring, evaluating and giving feedback are all the key components mentioned earlier which will transform Trinidad and Tobago into a sustainable destination in alignment with the 2020 Millennium Development Goals.

REFERENCES

Boadi, K. and Kuiten, M. “Environmental and Health Impacts of Solid Waste Handling and Disposal Practices in third world cities: The Case of the Accra Metropolitan Area, Ghana. Journal of Environmental Health (2005).

Christian, Ifeanyi Enete. “Potential Impacts Of Climate Change On Solid Waste Management In Nigeria.” Earthzine, October 4, 2010.

Cointreau, S. “Occupational and environmental health issues of solid waste management: Special emphasis on middle and lower-income countries, World Bank, Washington, DC, (2006).

Environmental Management Authority. 2014. The administrative Record for Draft Waste Management (Hazardous Waste). Port of Spain. Accessed 11 19, 2016 http://www.ema.co.tt/new/images/adminrecorddraftwaste.pdf.

Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. 2015. “National Waste Recycling Policy.” Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources. 02. Accessed 11 19,2016 http://www.mewr.gov.tt/Documents/Policies/WASTE_RECYCLING_POLICY_2015.pdf

Hoornweg, Daniel and Bhada-Tata, Perinaz. “WHAT A WASTE A Global Review of Solid Waste Management.” The World Bank. March 2012, no. 15, accessed November 16, 2016. http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTURBANDEVELOPMENT/Resources /336387-1334852610766/What_a_Waste2012_Final.pdf.

Kreith, F. “The Trinidad and Tobago Solid Waste Management Company” (2011). Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago. 2015. Bill Essentials. 05 19. Accessed 11 19, 2016. The Waste Recycling Bill, 2015.

“Solid Waste Management and Recycling Technology of Japan.” Toward a Sustainable Society. February 2012.

The Trinidad and Tobago Solid Waste Management Company Limited.2011. “Waste Management Topics.” Last Modified January 26, 2011.

Waste Disposal.”2016. In The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide, edited by Helicon Abington: Helicon. http://ezproxy.sastudents.uwi.tt:2048/login?url=http://search.credoreference.com.ezproxygateway.sastudents.uwi.tt:2048/content/entry/heliconhe/waste_disposal/0.