MRS. GEMMA BAIN-THOMAS, PERMANENT SECRETARY IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH

MIN. OF HEALTH IS ON BOARD WITH THE EFFORTS OF GSWMA

The Ministry of Health retains ultimate responsibility for the Grenada Solid Waste Management Authority. The ministry therefore recognizes the need to work closely with that organization to ensure that its plans are realized and its objectives met and is intent on doing everything necessary to help the authority achieve its goals.
Mrs. Gemma Bain-Thomas was the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health when this supplement was prepared. In this brief interview she explains how the ministry intends to work side by side with the authority towards an improved and more effective waste management service.

What has it been like moving from the old system of waste disposal in an open dump system to landfill operations?

Waste management as i recall from the inception of the GSWMA just about 10 years ago, inherited a lot of what existed under the Ministry of Health. One of these was the practice of crude waste disposal which placed many challenges on the backs of Management and attendants at the site. There was easy access to the site from the public which resulted in scavenging from the dump, there were frequent fires, equipment used were defective and outdated resulting in frequent down periods and garbage pile-ups, staff moral was generally low and there were quite a number of inefficiencies in disposal operations.

With the coming into being of the GSWMA there were swift moves to being a greater level of professionalism and efficiency in operations, one of the first being the construction of landfills. Given the new facilities, waste is now protected from public access, thus curbing the practice of salvaging by pickers. New facilities available to staff makes for a better working environment for staff and has served to significantly improve their general moral and foster a greater commitment towards getting things done.

This new system of operations has also brought with it a more reliable means of making the right tools of the trade readily available to staff.

The procurement of new heavy equipment and the formulation and implementation of a maintenance program has brought much needed efficiency in the area of heavy equipment operations on the sites with a significant drop in down times.

Accidental fires were also a common feature. While we did have one as recent as 2005 that lingered for quite some time, it must be stated that there has been a marked decrease in the incidence of these occurrences.

The purchase of other supporting equipment aimed at waste reduction has also served to boost up our operations at the landfill. These include the wood shipper and metal bailer. The metal bailer has significantly helped to reduce the quantities of metal items being landfilled such as galvanize, bulky items and vehicle shells and parts. The tyre shredder on the other hand, is yet to be commissioned. It is hoped that when put into operations will serve to curb the current problems being experienced with storage space for the hundreds of tyres being deposited on the site per month.

What would you describe as your greatest challenge in landfill Management?

We are currently operating at three sites at Perseverance and despite this there is always the problem of finding space for waste disposal. There is also the problem of in-adherence on the part of some waste haulers to follow directions for tipping which sometimes resulted in blockage of access to disposal points by other waste haulers and the creation of soggy landfill conditions at the site. This practice also encourage others to do likewise.

Another problem had to do with illegal entry to and deposits of certain waste types at the sites. This was especially common on the temporary site which was established for hurricane derived debris. While there were special areas demarcated to certain waste types, persons entering the site illegally were often engaged in disposing any material at any location on the site, making it difficult to manage. This practice often resulted in frequent spills onto the Western Main Road.

With appropriate fencing, the erection of gates and the presence of security after closure, this has helped to arrest the problem to a great extent.

Coping with the huge quantities of waste emerging out of the passage of Hurricanes Ivan and Emily presented one of our greatest challenges to date. With already limited space for disposal, managing hurricane derived debris and construction and demolition waste on the Temporary site proved quite a task for all staff. There were huge volumes of every type and category of waste being brought on the site with the problem being compounded by the putting out of commission of the old disposal site due to a fire. Additionally heavy showers caused a land slippage inside the first working cell of the new landfill, also putting that facility out of commission.

What do you see for the future for the GSWMA and in particular the landfill?

I do believe that with the direction the Authority is taking to implement certain programs to cut down on the waste stream through diversion/recycling initiatives, we can only see positives emerging.

With the current drive of the Authority and the will to always seek to improve in its operations and get the cooperation of the general public success will come.

GSWMA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

MRS. AINE BRATHWAITE

MRS. GEMMA BAIN-THOMAS

MR. COSNEL BAPTISTE

MRS. ARLENE BUCKMIREOUTRAM

MR. IAN EVANS

MR. AMBROSE LOUIS OBIKE

MR. CECIL REDHEAD

MR. JUDE HECTOR

MR. BERNARD LAMOTH