 Hello and welcome to issues and answers a production of the government information service. I'm your host to her muddy mark today We are having a discussion on the indiscriminate littering and in this and disposed of garbage and this conversation surrounds An issue that we've been having in st. Lucia for quite some time But it comes on the backdrop as st. Lucia recently experienced a flash flood that severely affected The north of the island and that was experienced on the 6th of November 2022 To have this conversation with me joining me in studio today is emeline Jean who is the information and communications manager of the st. Lucia Solid Waste Management Authority measure It's so it's such a pleasure to have this conversation with you. Thank you so much for joining me in studio Are you doing today? Good morning, and thank you for having me this morning and of course representing the st. Lucia Solid Waste Management Authority And I'm doing very fine this morning You know to set the tone for this conversation to kind of give us um, you know a bit of background You know, we've heard of the st. Lucia Solid Waste Management Authority We have an idea of what you do But um highlight the role of the organization for us Okay, in a nutshell the st. Lucia Solid Waste Management Authority is the organization responsible for waste management on the island And of course, you know, there are lots of ways that we have to deal with waste on the island We offer collection service to households and government institutions That service is contracted So those persons out there collecting are actually doing so on behalf of the organization their private private institutions private entities, I should say The st. Lucia Solid Waste Management Authority also manages the Loan waste disposal facility. That is the d. Lucia Sanitary landfill also as part of that whole system with respect to the management of waste is The management of the transfer station in the south of the island and of course waste from the south of the island Is transported to that transfer facility in the south that is in viewport And then the all waste is placed onto what we refer to as walking floor trailers And transported to the d. Lucia Sanitary landfill on a daily basis We also engage in a lot of community work as well in terms of education and awareness sensitization various community interventions in order to ensure that We get the necessary compliance required if the system that we have instituted Is to work and to work in the interest of all concerned Very nice. That's that's a nice synopsis for us here You know one of the the issues I think I've been hearing about from the time I was a child I remember the campaigns while I was in school is You know encouraging people not to litter and going even further to ensure that they dispose of their garbage Correctly, and you know you may think that this isn't you know something that people just see But I think recently we saw really the effects the effects of that and I can't say that indiscriminate garbage disposal was the the cause of flash flooding But I'm pretty sure that you would agree with me that it is Or it can be a determining factor Okay You're correct. I we shouldn't say that it was the cause But it contributes to The issues that we have in our communities in terms of clogging of waterways And eventually contributing to flooding events Indiscriminate dumping remains a challenge for the St. Lucia Solid Waste Management Authority We have illegal dumping taking place Illegal dumping takes place in waterways the very rivers and ravines and so on On vacant lands and of course in wherever you have isolated lands as well There's a tendency for persons to Go into these areas and dump illegally Is that something that we're seeing more of or have we gotten better as the years have progressed? It's very difficult for me to actually Tell you because it's not something that we've actually measured but There are certainly locations that are well known for that And that has been happening over an extended period of time Over time as well you have new areas would emerge Anytime, you know, you have an area that is basically isolated vacant and very convenient Then, you know, there's a tendency for that sort of illegal dumping to take place Um Littering is also a major issue and it's very evident as we drive along the highways and byways of St. Lucia People very often Both private and public, you know vehicles you would find material being tossed out of windows And contributing to some of the issues that we have in the country today Do you think um, you know from your perspective It's it's something where people have not understood the effects that these Actions can have on our environment or how it can affect them and their own households Over the years what I have have noticed is that even with our interaction with the public People are aware of what should and should not be done But we seem to have habits that are well engraved in us And we continue to persist without thinking Some people do it without thinking And um To some extent it would continue with others. It can be deliberate I don't know if you are good individuals say that they're actually doing it to create employment. Yes So for some people for some people it can be Really deliberate And it to me I see it as a It's part of our culture that is hard very difficult to change And it means that individuals must make a conscious effort To get to ensure that you know This sort of activity does not permit can continue in our communities I definitely agree with you on that one and you've said the two and quite nicely for us measure Of course, you need to stay with us when we return. We're going to delve into A little further into the issue and we're going to address some of the interventions that can be taken to address the problem Stay with us Pamela, I noticed that you built your retaining wall on my property You will have to give me my land back or compensate me for that. My contractor isn't dumb I trust that he will not build anything on your property. Where is your proof? Let's go to court This situation does not require you to go to court. Looks like we have to go through mediation here Mediation is a way people resolve conflicts like this someone a third party comes to speak to both parties This person is called the mediator The mediator is impartial. He or she makes sure that communication between both parties is effective and efficient So the mediator is a judge? No, the mediator is not a judge Mediators, unlike judges, do not decide cases or impose settlements Let me get a mediator to handle this retaining wall and that kitchen Kitchen? Yes, your kitchen also falls on my land. Let me call the mediator Welcome back And if you're just joining us, we're having a conversation with Amal Anjel Who is the information and communications manager at the St. Lucia Solid Waste Management Authority and we're talking about Littering in discriminate garbage disposal and the effects that it has on our environment Ms. Just said the tone for us very nicely prior To the break as to you know the the scope of the problem in st. Lucia and right now Ms. I'd like you to to kind of Highlights for us some of the interventions that you know is being taken by the st. Lucia Solid Waste Management Authority and that can be taken by You know people within their individual households to ensure that we curb this problem Okay, um as part of the service offered by the st. Lucia Solid Waste Management Authority to the public There's a regular collection service And households receive that service twice weekly In in addition to that There is what we refer to as the bulk waste collection service. This is also a monthly service offered to residents throughout the island And I would spend a little time on this particular service because it's it's a service whereby All um bulk items are come are collected We refer to old furniture, old appliances, and I could imagine we would have seen During the rainfall event, you know, um refrigerators mattresses stoves But there is a service for all these items and we really have no reason or there should be no reason why we should see these items um Moving through our our waterways during rainfall rainfall events And it's very simple all residents would have to do is to communicate with the authority If they are not if they are on a way of the day or not sure or cannot remember the day But that monthly service is offered to all households in throughout st. Lucia um outside the the regular Collection service offered in terms of the regular and the bulk waste service Residents are also free or free to visit the landfill site in order to dispose of the waste because sometimes You know persons undertake cleaning around their homes or within the community and need to dispose of the waste immediately Now if that happens then Persons are free to come to the site to dispose of the waste as long as it is done within the hours the operational hours of the site In addition to that we do a number of community interventions as well Very often we recognize sometimes there are issues of non compliance within communities particularly where we have The communal bins Those big bins that are placed in strategic locations For users of the community. So in some cases you have individuals from outside communities Use utilizing these bins In other cases you may have even the very persons of the communities utilizing them as we will say 24 7 And that in itself creates a problem. So there is always the need to deal with with the community As we would really like the waste to be placed out only on the collection day for the community Wherever we we do this into intervention. Sometimes it extends to actual house to house visits To interact with individuals to have conversations with them to hear what they have to say And then to to augment the service in such a way that the service is offered to them They receive the service and also ensuring that we minimize as many of the problems as possible One of the things that we continue to organize to into Implement Israeli bin removal exercises Anytime it is possible for the Collection vehicle To go into a community When there's a road opening after rates have been upgraded. We do remove these Collection containers these communal bins as well as what we refer to as any points assembly points collection points Where persons take waste, you know and place Assemble that waste for collection. We would prefer to remove this and we would implement that and Instead the alternative is for the truck to actually drive into the community And undertake the curbside collection or the door to the or provide a door to the service Okay, so just to ensure that i'm getting this current correctly communal bins are placed in an eventuality that the truck cannot Meet certain areas within the community very on collection days You then need to utilize the bin so that the the truck can go ahead and dispose of the garbage Okay, that is the idea correct. You correct. Yeah, okay I don't think that's something that that I understood. So i'm very glad that you Highlighting that now, you know, one of the issues that you also touched on. I think it's very important to highlight A little further, especially now that we're approaching, you know the festive season and rightfully people will be You know cleaning out their homes and looking to replace furniture is that of bulk waste collection I'm not sure if this is just me or is there a limit as to the number of items per household when it comes to bulk waste Yes, there's a limit. Um, it is a basic service offered to the community So we have a limit of two pieces per household. Okay anything in excess of that We encourage persons to really transport it to to the site so that they would these pieces would be facilitated Facilitated in that area. Nice and you know just speaking of that i'm thinking of You know in small communities where people are Very close and it can be a community drive, you know You organize because I know some people may think of cost of of You know disposal of that garbage, but you don't need to incur it by yourself If you have a few pieces of furniture that you want to ensure that you dispose of everybody's Cleaning for Christmas you can kind of coordinate and ensure that you know It's a community effort to reduce costs. Yes, that could happen as well. Yes But we encourage persons to ensure that these items are taken to the landfill, right? For the transport facility in the south of the island. Yes Nice nice one of the issues I would also like us to Be able to highlight because I'm sure that it's one that you get a lot the question of enforcement I can't imagine that There may be certain challenges when it comes to Enforcement of indiscriminate garbage disposal because you know you can't be everywhere at once Okay, there's a certain level of monitoring that is undertaken Through the same officers of the St. Lucia Solid Waste Management Authority To ensure that you know communities comply or there's compliance the generator waste generators actually comply And of course to ensure that there's compliance with respect to the collection service as well So the officers are on the ground monitor, whatever is happening What would usually happen though when individuals are identified because we do sometimes identified persons who have engaged in activities of illegal dumping As long as these persons are identified The what the authority would do is to actually work with the individuals and encourage cleanups Of the the areas in question and I must say there's usually compliance at that point We really work with the communities and try to ensure that you know, there's voluntary compliance That is the route that is utilized at this time to Ensure that things are done But um from experience it is not always the best because we do have persons who do not For one reason or another do not comply. Yes. Very true Um, you know one written measure I would love for you to be able to give us the information that we require to Um, you know come in contact with the St. Lucia Solid Waste Management Authority Of course you're watching issues and answers right here on the national television network and ensure that you still at this Do you really even know all the chemicals and hormones used to accelerate their growth? All the artificial flavoring sweeteners and colors too We consume and we don't spare a thought for the damage that they'll do Think about the children think about the children They say they calls and GMO's are not the solution Use organic and Excessive agrochemical use additives and genetically modified foods are harmful to health and the environment Join the good food revolution grow buy and consume organic a message from rye st. Lucia and the ministry of sustainable development With funding from the GEF small grants program UNDP Welcome back to issues and answers. We've been having Quite an interesting discussion with ever ninja from the st. Lucia Solid Waste Management Authority You know talking about what can be done In terms of the indiscriminate littering that we've been experiencing in st. Lucia as well as improper garbage disposal And you've highlighted so many You know highlighted the issues we've touched on the interventions as well And in the remaining time that we have here, I know that one of the things that You know, usually people Can't do and I think that they forget is that they could call the st. Lucia Solid Waste Authority when they're having issues I think sometimes it's very easy for you to say well, you know Let me just put the garbage here even even, you know If it's a problem that they're having in the community as opposed to calling for direction You know, sometimes we tend to just take the easy way out, right? But I think it's important to highlight that you can't call the st. Lucia Solid Waste Management Authority for certain problems That you may be experiencing when it comes to your garbage disposal. Yes, that is correct We have a complaint system. So um residents can call in To complain with respect to any issues Experience within the communities with respect to waste management and of course, um We can be reached on our various social media platforms as well as on whatsapp 724-5544 or 285-2762 and persons can also call the landline of the st. Lucia Solid Waste Management Authority, which is 453-2208 And of course feel free to communicate because the st. Lucia Solid Waste Management Authority whenever these Issues reach the organization. They're investigated and of course the problem issues addressed by the authority nice one of the The points that you need is that there's a system in place when it comes to garbage disposal And if we do comply to the system we follow the system that we should not Be experiencing the issues that we're experiencing when it comes to Improper garbage disposal, but one of the things that you tend to see sometimes is people not understanding their schedule when it comes to Waste collection. Maybe they forget the days. Maybe They're not sure of the times and maybe they miss it and as a result the garbage Is left on the side of the road if their community is experiencing issues where Even it may be a case where they expecting the garbage assets in time and that does not occur What are the Options available to them in terms of addressing that problem? Okay, in the event that persons recognize that the service has not been provided They can of course call the the authority with respect to that. We do monitor as well and very often Releases are sent out, you know to the public through the media houses as well as through our social media Platforms in order to inform the public that the the service may be delayed or you know Into some extent there would be a non-collection and as such it would be undertaken the following day Nice, um, like we mentioned earlier We're coming up on the the festivities and I can imagine that household consumption that increases as a result We also see the increase in In waste very good. Um, and so we need to be even more vigilant during this time When it comes to garbage disposal any tips for the festive season anything that you tell us to ensure that You know, we're aware of during that time. Okay. Um, of course, there will be delays in collection Because of course the the volumes Usually increased during that that time of year because everybody's cleaning everybody's changing, you know Furniture changing appliances eating a lot there they are eating no more as well So there will be lots more ways to be Hold out of the community. So, um, I would like to Mention to the public that there would be delays in the collection service In some communities or in all communities and of course to exercise patients The solution solid waste management authority as well as to ensure that always generated is properly packaged contained To ensure that, you know, everything remains intact until the collection collection time and the for the community Nice one of the things I want to ensure that we also highlight is during this time I know that you guys are always all nice to you guys. I mean the the authority On top of it when it comes to providing their information. So whether it's, you know, the days for the garbage disposal, whether it changes or not In terms of the platforms that we could use to ensure that we're staying up to date with any changes in your schedule And I see platforms. I mean social media. Otherwise, can you provide us with those as well? Okay, we we are on instagram facebook Of course the what's up numbers that I just mentioned seven two four five five four four two eight five two seven six two And of course calling the st. Lucia solid waste management authority as well. Yes We're all over and I would like to give you, um, you know the final Words anything I may not have asked or anything you think it's Particularly important to highlight To ensure that the public is aware of when it comes to the work of the st. Lucia management authority Anything that you think you would want them? To keep in the back of their minds moving forward when it comes to littering and indiscriminate garbage disposal Okay, um, I think why would we want to leave that particular message to in order to encourage the public to be compliant one of our many challenges is Generator non-compliance waste being put out for collection outside the collection day in some communities And I think we need to do better. We can do better And the service is provided and we have to make maximum use of that service because Millions of dollars are being spent on an annual basis to ensure that that service is provided to the populace And I think we need to do better and to utilize the service as best as we can You know when you put it in monetary value, you really understand the seriousness of it, right? I wish I have to thank you so much for coming out Spending time with us and ensuring that we have the information that we need to be able to Better manage our waste. I think it's important. It's it's not only An issue for households. It's an environmental Problem that we need to resolve and it's a national issue as well that we need to collectively Respond to so I want to say thank you for taking time From your busy schedule to be here with us And of course, I know that you're always open to coming and having a discussion with us, right? Thank you very much, and I look forward to another interaction with you Indeed This has been issues and answers right here on the national television network Of course and sure that you stay with us as we bring you more content relevant to you and the nation