by Linda Straker
Construction waste has the highest increase in deposits at the main Perseverance landfill, according to records from the Grenada Solid Waste Management Authority. Data has revealed that 2016 was a recording-breaking year for waste disposal when compared to 2014 and 2015, as almost 40 tonnes of waste were disposed, despite the ongoing fire which began almost 2 years ago.
“The total mass of waste deposited at Perseverance on weigh days was 12.3% greater than the waste deposited during the corresponding period of 2015, and 3.6% more than 2014 waste deposited at Perseverance, on weigh days,” said the 2016 annual report of the authority, which was recently tabled in both the Upper and Lower Houses of Parliament.
The total waste deposited at for 2016 was 39,789.83 tonnes while for 2015 it was 35,432.51 tonnes; in 2014 it was 36701.94 tonnes. A breakdown of the type of waste shows that there was an increase in Construction, Green, Industrial and Ship while there was decease in Commercial, Household and Institutional waste.
The percentages for
- Construction waste: 9.01% in 2015; 14.37% in 2016
- Green waste: 3.47% in 2015; 3.96% in 2016
- Industrial waste: 2.01% in 2015; 3.43% in 2016
- Ship waste percentage remains at 0.57% for both years
- Household waste: 58.26% in 2015; 51.82% in 2016
- Commercial waste: 24.7% in 2015; 24.58% in 2016
- Institutional waste: 1.94% in 2015; 1.17% in 2016.
Focusing on the number of segregated tyres over the last 3 years, the report said that there a reduction in vehicle tyres deposited at the landfill. 29,663 tyres were deposited in 2014; in 2015 there was 30,192 tyres and for 2016 the total amount was 26,575.
“The figure represents a decrease of 1.7% over the previous year of 2014. The 2016 total represented a decline of 13.6% discharged over the 2015 figures,” said the report. The more active months were July, November and December while the months of February, March and May are reflected as the slower months.
As for Carriacou, the report did not present the total amount in waste, but presented figures that show an increase in the number of vehicles accessing the Dumfries landfill in 2016. There was an increase of 224 vehicle visits over the previous year. The report explains that there are major issues affecting the management of solid waste in Carriacou.
“The absence of a perimeter fence along the road and the non-existence of an entrance gate or a chain to secure the site,” said the report, explains the unrestricted entry of animals such as donkeys and goats foraging the waste for food.
