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70 71 TCI WASTE DISPOSAL SERVICES KEEPING TURKS & CAICOS BEAUTIFUL BY NATURE TCI WASTE DISPOSAL SERVICES T CI Waste Disposal is the only re- cycling facility of solid waste in the Turks and Caicos, and its first and foremost goal is to maintain and preserve the beauty of the Islands by reducing waste that goes into the land- fill. The company is making great strides through innovative waste management techniques and recycling initiatives to promote and encourage better envi- ronmental awareness among residents, tourists, and businesses. Ramez Hakoura is Managing Director of TCI Waste Disposal and a staunch advocate of environmental stewardship.The story of the start-up company he founded, the devastating event that followed, and the resounding comeback, offer much to think about. In Hakoura’s words: “I’ve owned several businesses on the island, and was here about 12 years ago working on a project. I was renting an apartment, and it was really as simple as: my garbage wasn’t being picked up.When I asked my landlord,‘Why is it sometimes being picked up and sometimes not? He replied,“That’s just how it is.”’At that point, I decided it might be a good idea to start a waste collection company here.At the time, there wasn’t any legitimate private collection company–the government was doing it, sporadically, but it wasn’t very organized. “When we started TCI Waste Disposal a decade ago, it was always part of the plan to go into recycling,we just didn’t knowwhen.There were a lot of obstacles–pri- marily,we didn’t have land to build a recycling or sort facility. So, for the first fewyears we were just a collec- tion site.We started off with one truck, two employees, and one hotel as a customer. “Because there wasn’t a proper privatized waste AT A GLANCE TCI WASTE DISPOSAL SERVICES WHAT: Turks & Caicos only solid waste recycling and disposal facility WHERE: Providenciales, Turks & Caicos WEBSITE: www.tciwaste.com