New Mamey Peak Dumpster on the Way, WMA Says

A new trash bin is on the way, but it won’t come soon enough for Coral Bay area residents who are tired of looking at the garbage flowing from the bottom of the rusted-out Dumpster located at Mamey Peak. The trash container is on Centerline Road, and the garbage from the Dumpster blows across the street and down the road for several hundred yards.

“It’s unsanitary and ugly, and it gives a terrible impression,” said Wil Roberts, who lives at nearby Ajax Peak.

Roberts said he watched the garbage truck pick up the rusted-out Dumpster and the bottom looked like a flapping tongue with the garbage still hanging out. “Stuff is oozing out,” Roberts said.

Roberts provided photos of the Dumpster that indicated the severity of the leak.

Waste Management Authority spokeswoman Stella Saunders said the agency is aware of the problem.

“We know we have bins we need to replace,” she said, adding that there are a lot of bins that need replacing.

She said Waste Management is waiting for a shipment of bins to arrive, but she couldn’t say when the one at Mamey Peak would be replaced.

Saunders said that, like many things in the government, it takes money to fix.

In regards to this particular trash bin, Saunders said the residents in the area had relocated the bin, which has given the garbage haulers “challenges” in putting it back.

Saunders also sent an update on Waste Management’s plans to upgrade the Susannaberg transfer station and expand services.

Waste is currently transported daily to St. Thomas either by individual 40-yard bins located roadside or by compactor trailers from the transfer station.

Currently the compactors are not operable so waste from the transfer station is being loaded into additional 40-yard bins transported to St. Thomas. The two compactor units are being refurbished and a new unit is being purchased. Once the compactor units are in place, all household waste will be compacted and transported via compactor.

To facilitate the compaction of all waste collected and delivered to the transfer station, a tipping floor will be constructed. It will allow trucks and bins to deposit their waste onto the floor where it will be sorted. Unacceptable and bulky waste and scrap metals will be removed from the waste stream and the acceptable waste will be loaded and compacted for transporting. The bids for the construction of the tipping floor are due in to WMA on Friday.

On Monday contractor V.I. Recycling started separating, flattening and transporting scrap metal to St. Thomas. This contractor rotates among solid waste facilities on all three islands to bale and remove all scrap metal. The initial St. John project is scheduled to take eight weeks. The contractor will then move on to the Bovoni landfill on St. Thomas and then the Anguilla landfill on St. Croix before returning to St. John.

In an attempt to lessen the influx of farm animals in the transfer station area, the authority will construct a fence along the perimeter of the area adjacent to the compactor. Waste Management continues to urge neighboring farmers to contain their livestock to prevent safety hazards on the public roadside and the transfer station property.

Saunders reminded residents that WMA accepts only certain household hazardous waste such as electronic devices and fluorescent bulbs at the transfer station for recycling.

“Funding and space limitations continue to be the challenges that the authority faces when trying to improve the level of solid waste services to the island of St. John,” WMA Director May Adams Cornwall said in a press release. “We are aware of many of the needs, including the replacement of existing aged disposal bins, the need for new collection equipment and a proper facility for staff, but the fiscal constraints continue to limit how much and when these items can be addressed.”

She commended the St. John staff for always being willing to go above and beyond, always putting the needs of the public first and working within the limitations.