Landfills operated by the Grenada Solid Waste Management Authority are fearing a problem with increased waste, particularly bulky, hard to get rid of, objects.

Public Relations Officer of the GSWMA, Ms. Myrna Julien says derelict vehicles and discarded vehicle parts are not the least of the problem, and the authority needs the assistance and support of other sectors of society to deal with this scourge.

Miss Julien said the authority has recognized a problem with vehicles/vehicle parts coming into the country.

She said one of the alarming factors is the life expectancy of these vehicles which are brought into country when they have almost outlived their usefulness and in some cases can only be used for two or three years before they become derelicts.

Derelicts have become a big challenge for the authority. In addition to this Julien, whereas in the past persons would prefer to repair the damaged part of a vehicle that was in a collision, easy and affordable access to parts is causing vehicles owners to want to replace a damaged part rather than repair it.

This also poses a challenge for the authority in terms of the increasing quantity of waste coming through the waste stream. The PRO added that these are not the types of waste that degrade very quickly so it adds bulk to what is already there.

This she said is happening at a time when the local authority is thinking of waste reduction in Grenada in order to extend the life of the landfills.

Julien also pointed out that land space is very limited in Grenada and finding places to dispose of this waste will always be a challenge for the authority.

She said recycling is an attractive option and there are persons who have interest in getting into recycling initiatives but the economic benefits of this is still under consideration.

The authority is hoping that whoever gets into the recycling initiative will be able to devise the best mechanism for getting the items out of the island and this will help the authority a great deal in terms of diverting waste especially the bulky materials.

Ms. Julien said one of the matters of concern for the authority is for persons to be better informed as to the best options for dealing with damaged vehicles and vehicle parts when they become damaged.

The PRO said it is not only the responsibility of the GSWMA to educate people on these very important issues and to devise ways to reduce the impact. She said the people who import used vehicles especially should play a part by informing persons who purchase vehicles as to the best ways of caring for these vehicles so that parts and components don’t go bad too quickly making replacement necessary.

She said if a vehicle is to last anyone for an extended period of time the important thing is maintenance and therefore the importers of these vehicles should do their fair share in educating their customers about maintaining their vehicles in such a way that it would last them a long time on the road.

Julien said the insurance companies as well should play a role in terms of advising vehicle owners about the best means of repairing their vehicles rather than the replace attitude.

She said she is aware that people are concerned about the resale value of their vehicles when parts are repaired rather than replaced but everybody is also supposed to be concerned about our waste stream not just the solid waste authority.

She said the commitment to waste reduction should be shared by all adding that the generators of the waste and not the GSWMA that represent the first managers of waste

This should be augmented by people exercising more thrift in their spending especially at a time of increasing cost of living.

Another concern of the authority related to vehicles is the quantity and quality of tires coming into the country.

Julien said while the Bureau of Standards does its best to ensure that the best quality of tires comes into the country there is still a situation of sub quality used tires coming in, and also used vehicles brought in with tires that are practically worn down and therefore have to be changed almost as soon as they get here and soon becomes waste.

She explained that there is a problem with the disposal of tires on the landfill and although a tire shredder will be commissioned soon to help the situation, the quantities coming in on a daily basis still make in quite a daunting situation.

Julien said persons involved in the importation of used vehicles should think in terms of reducing on the waste that comes, not just in terms of the age of the vehicle, but should ensure that the vehicles are reconditioned serviced and fitted with parts that need replacement including tires before they get here so that we do not import waste.

The PRO encourages persons to show preference for purchasing new tires over the used ones so that they last a longer time and will certainly give better performance.

Ms. Julien also advises people to use the operating scrap yards when they no longer have use for a vehicle rather than removing useful parts and abandoning the rest to rot by the road side.

This puts additional pressure on the authority and the Ministry of Health to remove derelicts from the roadsides and finding places to put them.

When they are brought to the scrap operators people looking for replacement parts will go there since sometimes when a vehicle is written off it still contains lots of usable parts.

Julien pointed out that the constant importation of new parts put a severe strain on an already challenging foreign exchange situation.