& Waste e c r u o s e R gem ent Ma n a
Alternative Energy
Most homes in the BVI use rainwater as their main water supply. There are many other resources that go to waste in the BVI—sun, wind, glass, aluminium, paper and plastic end up in the incinerator, but this is changing dramatically. Currently, power generation is governed by the BVI Electricity Corporation Act, which states: “…No person other than the Corporation (BVIEC) shall use, work or operate or permit to be used, worked or operated any installation designed for the generation of electricity or the supply of electricity to or for the use of any other person, except in accordance with the terms of an authority issued by the minister.” This legislation was originally penned to ensure sufficient revenue to fund BVIEC infrastructure and prevent hundreds of residents from installing their own generators—but it also inadvertently restricts the implementation of renewable energy as a primary source to any resident living on the BVIEC grid. However, alternative energy can and is used as a secondary form of power among residents living within the grid system. You’ll notice some homes with solar panels to power water heaters and cut some power costs. Off the grid—mainly on sister islands— exemplary work is in full force. Resorts such as Cooper Island Beach Club, and those on Peter, Moskito, and Eustatia islands have all invested in renewable energy supplies. The hope is that this trend becomes commonplace, and necessary action is taken by lawmakers to amend this legislation.
54
BVI NEWBIE 2014
Waste and Resource Management in the BVI
In the BVI, trash collection service is limited and each district representative is tasked with hiring a private company to collect and dispose of the waste. Residents are expected to deposit their waste in metal dumpsters that are situated every mile or so on the roadsides. On Tortola, you’ll often see the loud, diesel dump-truck barrelling down the road en route to Paraquita Bay where waste is dumped in an incinerator and burned. Islands have a limiting constraint of having little land available for landfill. This is especially true across the BVI - with its’ rolling terrain, making landfill engineering difficult and expensive in this topography. The BVI has seen a three-fold increase in waste volumes over the last decade with waste within the territory being either landfilled or incinerated. No recycling facilities are currently in place, however, plans are underway to develop a viable recycling system for the BVI. Four unlined landfill sites are currently in operation (Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke and Anegada) with open burning unfortunately a common practice.
Going green
Roughly 12 percent of the waste stream is glass. According to previous studies, 3.8 million bottles were imported into Tortola in 1996, resulting in 1700 tons of glass received at the incinerator that year. Glass waste poses a unique problem