Officials working to develop a new solid waste management plan for the territory say there’s a chance that successful implementation could produce millions of dollars needed by the V.I. Waste Management Authority. The last of a series of public hearings on the proposed plan took place Thursday night on St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix.
The USVI Integrated Solid Waste Plan — developed through collaboration between the WMA and the UVI Caribbean Green Technology Center — was first presented to the public in January. At that meeting, Waste Management Executive Director Hannibal “Mike” Ware called for creation of public-private partnerships to help put new 10-year management protocols in place.
“The Waste Management Authority is facing a huge amount of difficulties,” said Technology Center Director Greg Guannel. “There are a lot of challenges to solving this, but there are also opportunities if this plan is carried out over a period of 10 to 15 years.”
Guannel, who presented during the 90-minute session, outlined several potential revenue streams that could provide the WMA with additional resources for its operations. According to Guannel, the authority could generate an estimated $90 million annually by recovering metals from the waste stream, including beverage cans and construction materials such as rebar. Recovering cardboard could bring in an additional $3 million to $4 million per year, while diverting food waste could generate another $2 million to $4 million annually. Recovering glass before it enters the waste stream could produce an estimated $1 million per year.
“Metals are very valuable and we lose a lot of money when a can is thrown into the trash,” the presenter said.
Efforts to establish revenue streams and financing were among the recommendations for implementation. If done successfully, the agency would be able to pay vendors and contractors in a timely manner.
The inability to make timely payments has led to broken agreements between the agency and its providers.
“I’m looking for public-private partnerships in all of this,” Ware said.
Those who took part in Thursday’s final public meeting on the integrated plan — in person or online — will have access to the detailed plan within the next 14 days, organizers said.
