LACK of public awareness about waste separation is a complicating factor in the management and disposal of solid waste at the Haags Bosch Sanitary Landfill (HBSL) Head of the Georgetown Solid Waste Management Programme (GSWMP) Mr. Gordon Gilkes has said.

Mr. Gilkes disclosed that operations at the site would be much more efficient if citizens were to separate waste into categories most likely using different containers for different kinds of solid waste so that for example materials which could be recycled can be easily retrieved.
There will also be significant benefits for the environment.
He said that the HBSL has a data centre on site which monitors the various categories and types of waste being deposited.
The categories include all packaging such as empty tins, plastic packages, plastic bottles etc, paper, books and cardboard packaging ie: those that can be recycled.
Then there is food waste such as egg shells, scraps of food fruit and vegetable waste, nutshells, coffee filters, tea bags, as well as garden waste like greenery and grass clippings.
Another category comprises broken household appliances such as refrigerators, gas stoves, plastic toys, glass and glass bottles clothing and old shoes, batteries and electronic waste such as television sets, computers and radios; old DVD Players etc.

Gilkes said that the problem is that most of the waste arrives at HBSL mixed up so that the recyclable materials such as cardboard and plastic cannot be separated to reduce the volume of waste that the site has to deal with.
Another problem is that health care waste which is considered hazardous gets into the mix.
He noted that most of this category of waste is treated before it reaches HBSL but it is invariably transported in vehicles containing other categories.
Health care waste, he said, must be brought with a vehicle dedicated to the transportation and delivery of such waste and not merely dumped into any other vehicle which already has other categories of waste in it.
He said that the GSWMP is now being involved in a public awareness campaign which would sensitise citizens about the importance of sorting out their waste into categories and thus making the management and disposal of such waste much easier for the authorities.
Other challenges to good Solid Waste Management at the moment includes undesirable activities of waste collectors and transporters such as transporting garbage in uncovered trucks, dumping garbage at the side of the access roads and speeding.
He said that the project is challenged to ensure that vehicles transporting waste to HBSL are covered. While the Landfill operator is also challenged to ensure that the site is covered to prevent the activities of birds and rodents.
Gilkes again appealed to citizens to avoid littering and dumping of solid waste and to embrace the three Rs namely: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

(By Clifford Stanley)