COMPOSTING, RECYCLING AND WASTE DIVERSION The Authority recognizes that traditional landfill operations alone cannot solve Saint Lucia’s waste management challenges, particularly in a region where the Caribbean registers one-third more plastic waste per kilometer than the global average. The General Manager acknowledged that Saint Lucia’s waste management legislation must evolve to enable greater waste diversion, reuse and reduction. Central to the Authority’s sustainability efforts is an upgraded composting facility that has been transformed in the past two years, from a small-scale operation into a revenue-generating enterprise. The composting operation converts green waste disposed of at the landfill into compost, wood chips and wood mulch, which are sold to the public. This facility stands as another key achievement for the SLSWMA, demonstrating its commitment to advancing waste management solutions. Building on this success, plans are already underway to establish a similar composting facility in the south of the island, under the World Bank funded UBEC Project. Community engagement is at the heart of the Authority’s waste diversion strategy. To date, as part of the Recycle Organics Project, the Authority has distributed composters to approximately two hundred (200) households, empowering families to process organic waste at home. “At the household level, they can divert waste and create a resource that they can use in their backyard gardens,” General Manager Raynold Arthurton explained. Building on these efforts, the upcoming Community and Schools Plastics Collection Initiative will channel recyclable materials to local processors, tackling a waste stream that accounts for nearly twenty-four percent (24%) of Caribbean municipal solid waste, according to recent regional studies. INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AND MODERNIZATION The Authority’s infrastructure development strategy relies heavily on external funding partnerships, which shape many major project decisions. “A significant percentage of what we do, depends on projects and donations from various funding agencies,” General Manager Raynold Arthurton noted.This support has enabled major equipment acquisitions, including those planned under the UBEC Project. At the same time, despite resource limitations, the Government of Saint Lucia continues to contribute. Most recently, the government has provided funding for a landfillgrade bulldozer and a tire slicer, ensuring that the Authority’s progress is supported both locally and internationally. 4 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 12, ISSUE 08
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