MRS. AINE BRATHWAITE, CHAIRPERSON OF THE GRENADA SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY

WAKING UP TO REALITY- WASTE MANAGEMENT IS MORE THAN COLLECTION & DISPOSAL

Those who think the solid waste management is simply the collection and disposal of waste had better think again.

Chairperson of the Grenada Solid Waste Management Authority, Mrs. Aine Brathwaite admits that before taking up the position she shared the same simplistic view of solid waste management.
She was in for a rude awakening upon entering the organization realizing that it was much more complex than she previously thought.

She realized in a direct way that solid waste has a significant impact on all aspects of our lives. It affects health; it has an impact on our environment, our economies on tourism, fishery and education. It can be tied in to energy and energy conservation and ties in with global warming which is a big topic internationally.

In Mrs. Brathwaite’s words solid waste is everybody’s business and we all have a part to play in its management.
Asked whether she has so far been achieving the objectives she set herself when she assumed the chair of GSWMA, the chairperson said realistically something like that is a major exercise and funding is a major problem.

It will therefore take some time for major result to be a reality. It will be necessary to convince people that the path the authority is on is a correct one for Grenada so they have to sell their idea of the management of solid waste.
She said not everyone is going to jump on board immediately since the new thrust will affect some businesses directly by way of Environmental Levy and management and collection of their own waste. There will therefore be an economic impact so there must be a lot of dialog between the authority and the business community, the communities in general, the schools so that they can all work together to achieve the objectives.
Aware that the set goals will not be achieved overnight but will take a significant amount of time, Mrs. Brathwaite is pleased that the process has started.

But what is the overall focus of the board of directors of GSWMA?
The chairperson explained the focus is to have an effective way of managing solid waste. They are looking at different options and different methods of achieving this.

Recycling is one of the methods under consideration as is the management of waste from a domestic level through composting and preaching the doctrine of waste management through the education system.

Brathwaite said sound educational policy in schools as it relates to waste management will be a key ally in the efforts of the authority.
To this end the public relations department goes into the schools to interact with the children and educate them about proper and effective waste management.
The philosophy is that by targeting the children they will develop with the knowledge of the importance of managing our waste and they will also take the message home to the rest of the family.

Brathwaite said while they see their role as managing there is a very strong educational component because they need to change attitudes and if they can do so then they can change the approach to solid waste management.

CARIBBEAN SOLID WASTE MANAGERS WORKSHOP

The authority is hoping to get the private sector interested in probably teaming up with businesses in other parts of the region and seriously considering recycling.
Brathwaite said for the last three months the authority had been working on a three to five year plan so that the board, management and staff all have the same focus in terms of moving ahead.
This she described as the planning phase. Now they are looking at the implementation of the plans.

The chairperson said her vision for the GSWMA for the next 5-10 years is to see the institution of recycling programs. She would like to see the population at a domestic level- the farmers, hoteliers, using organic material for compost so that we can minimize the amount of waste going to the landfills. She is also enthusiastic about the waste to energy possibilities so over time the Grenada Electricity Services Ltd. can take back additional capacity into their system.

She said with the impact of global warming and high energy prices we have to look at conservation and more affordable sources of energy. In fact in the GSWMA’s soon to be constructed offices, conservation principles will be employed as an example to the rest of the community.

Brathwaite reiterated that landfills cannot be our only solution and the complexity of solid waste management requires us to have a comprehensive multi-sector approach to handling it. It is no longer just disposing of the refuse that has been generated.
The increasing economic cost of the management of waste she said has to be shared by the different sectors in the society so business houses have to pay more attention to their corporate responsibility toward the solid waste issue in our society.