Why Waste Your Waste - Antigua - Kammie

Why Waste your Waste?? Dealing with waste management and recycling Presented by

Kammie Holder - Volunteer Counterpart Caribbean @ The Future Centre Presentation produced by Nicole Garofano

What is waste? • Waste – There are many definitions: – Something that is left over because it is excess of requirements – Rejected as being useless, unwanted or worthless • Collins Paperback English dictionary

– Waste, is an unwanted or undesired material or substance • Wikipedia

Types of waste • BioDegradable and non biodegradeable – ie naturally decomposed or not

• Includes – – – – – – – –

General household waste Marine Debris Adhoc Littering Toxic Waste – commercial and household Liquid waste EWaste – Technology Disused Building Materials Of course our own human waste • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waste

In Barbados • Affliction to all types of previous. • Waste to Landfill breakdown: Characterisation of waste in Barbados 1994 Hazardous wastes 0.5%

Special Wastes 0.1% Paper 20%

Other 2% Yard waste 26%

Plastics 9% Glass 5%

Organic non yard waste 33%

Metals 5%

And lately? Characterisation of waste in Barbados 2005 Special Care Waste 2%

Other wastes 1%

Construction and Demolition waste 6% Organics 30%

Paper and paperboard 24%

Glass 7%

Metal 7% Textiles 7%

Plastic 16%

• Plastics increased by 7% • Glass increased by 2% • Paper and Card increased by 4%

Recent surveys suggest this split has not changed greatly since 2005

3R’s, or is it 4? • What are they? • Why are they important, particularly in today’s lifestyle and in Barbados? • How can we use these principles?

Reduce •

Reduction of waste is a choice: – a choice of product with less packaging – A choice to reduce the amount of packaging you accept with your goods - Buying in bulk reduces overall packaging – Reduction of plastic bags to avoid marine life injuries is a great example. Super Centre’s used 14, 000, 000 plastic bags in 2007 which took 200,000 litres of oil to make. By using reusable shopping bags, we can reduce the use and save fossil fuels and turtles at the same time!

Consumers can have a very strong voice as to what products are put on shelves. We can choose to support one product and not another or suggest to buyers for stores, to try new products

Reuse • Reuse what? • To coin the term “one Man’s trash is another Man’s treasure”… – – – – – –

Clothing in good condition Books – both for study and general reading Furniture Some children’s toys Some homewares Building materials – a large supplier of a lot of unnecessary fill to landfill sites – Electronic equipment in decent working order

Recycle • In the true sense of the word is to take a used item and reprocess it into a new product. • At this time the only product recycled in the true meaning of recycling, in any large sense is Used Vegetable Oil… Used to make BioDiesel and animal feed • All other products collected for recycling in Barbados are shipped to offshore locations for reprocessing.

Recovery • The Government of Barbados is investigating a project of waste to energy which they are looking to implement alongside the new Vaucluse Transfer station. There is no time frame given to this project, only to say government is pursuing investigations in this area.

Why use the 4R’s in Barbados?

This is part of the why! At least 1000 tonnes per day! Can this help?

Additionally… • Barbados is made of limestone. This natural filter is only as good as what is on top of the limestone. More trash, and chemicals, more damage to Water Supplies • Aside from Carbon Dioxide, untapped Methane Gas is one of the worst contributors to Greenhouse gases (GHG) and as the UN IPCC found, GHG are the major contributors to Climate Change… Landfills create Methane as they decompose. The larger the landfill, the larger the amount of gas released.

So what can we do with ‘waste’? • Sort your waste! • Start from right in your kitchen – Separate out compostable goods – Separate all plastics, anything with a triangle on it 1-5 – Separate tin cans including tins of tomatoes, corn beef, mixed vegetables, tuna, anything! – Separate aluminium cans – Separate your newspapers – Separate your cardboard boxes – Separate glass bottles and jars – of any kind – Even separate and save your vegetable oil!

In the home, look at sorting systems Overseas examples

http://www.kitchenrecyclebins.com http://www.greenculture.com

http://www.homerecycling.co.uk/catalogue.php?product_id=180

Bajan alternatives!

Example of a pail system in use at the Spieler Residence

Composting at the home of Angela and Tony Audin

To be found at Ecolodge – the home of Andrea and Grahame ReevesLaw

What about other waste? • Look around your home and see what else can be recycled: – – – – – – –

Car Batteries Metals Old broken plastic chairs Old Aluminium chairs Old pails Metals lying around Electronic Waste – Monitors, TV’s Cell Phones, old computers – Even bumpers from old cars!

Now the big question…. Where do we send recyclable materials??

Recycling Grid now available •

Main recyclers: – B’s Bottle Depot • All Glass, Plastic, Food tins, Aluminium cans, ferrous and non ferrous metals, bulk card, PVC, Automotive Batteries

– RPI Recycling • Non Ferrous Metals

– Ace Recycling • Paper (not newspapers) and magazines, automotive batteries, scrap metal

– Amelot Oil Barbados Ltd (under review) • Used Vegetable Oil

– Solid Waste Solutions and Services • Used Vegetable Oil and Glass

– EnviroTech • All glass, particularly clear

– Machine and Allied Services • Used Engine Oil

– Caribbean E Waste Management • TV’s, Monitors, Computer hard drives, keyboards, cables, Cell Phones, other electrical items

– EarthWorks Pottery •

Newspapers!

What you don’t have to send Compostable material! A number of options are available depending on the type of biodegradable products being used: • Vegetable peelings need to be added to a closed compost container to deter vermin etc • Added to this can be garden waste such as leaves and lawn clippings • Also open piles for lawn clippings can be used, however a controlled environment works faster. – Brochures and more information on compost available.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

An example of the 3R’s at the Merrick Household

•

Item Newsprint Newspaper Direct T.P. and Paper Towel Rolls Old clothes, mags, books Aluminum drink cans PET bottles Glass Used Cooking Oil Organic kitchen waste Soup and other tin cans Every kind of plastic Corks from wine bottles Old toys, games, kitchenware Grass clippings, leaves Old T-shirts Car Batteries Egg Cartons Foam plates large metal such as galvanized Paper mistakes from my computer Used Car oil stuff Plastic shopping bags

• • •

Cardboard Old furniture, bedding Old tyres

Goes to_____________________________________ Earthworks Pottery, for packaging shipments Goes to my friend who voraciously reads all foreign papers Go to the school for crafts The school again, for the fair, or other bazaars RPI in Warrens Industrial Park or B’s Bottle Depot The easiest thing to recycle in Barbados Kindly The Future Centre provided by Oil Recycler, Joe Del Castilho Mrs Vicky My composter Merrick from B’s Bottle Depot or The Future Centre an article B’s Bottle Depot offered to Crafts members of Bazaars, garage sales the My composter Canadian Rag Bag or give to friends with boats for their Rag Bag! Women’s B’s Bottle Depot Club in April Brighton or other farmers’ markets 08 Crafts (I don’t keep the ones that held meat, only veggies!) The metal recyclers everywhere Chopped up into phone message pads, drawing paper, etc Some bigger garages. Ask your mechanic. Light and power actually use the to make our electricity! I carry market bags and use them to reduce my consumption. Still, when I have them I reuse them like everybody else, for garbage, doggie droppings and everything else. Just started – B’s Bottle Depot (not sure if it’s all grades) Salvation Army, Women’s’ Shelter, lots of agencies help the poor Tyre garden at school

From What to What?

• Plastic is reprocessed into a number of items depending on the grade of plastic (as following) • Glass is melted down and made into new glass containers • Card is bailed and shipped off to reprocess into new card • Paper and magazines also reprocessed into new paper with recyclable content in Trinidad • Metals, particularly aluminium, are melted down and reprocessed. Reprocessing aluminium can save as much as 59% of the cost of processing newly mined bauxite due to the temperatures needed to melt the raw minerals • Used Vegetable Oil reprocessed into BioDiesel and added to Animal feeds, here in Barbados • For more on plastics…

From what to what? • Number 1 Plastics PET or PETE (polyethylene terephthalate) Found in: Soft drink, water and beer bottles; mouthwash bottles; peanut butter containers; salad dressing and vegetable oil containers; ovenable food trays. Recycled into: Polar fleece, fiber, tote bags, furniture, carpet, paneling, straps, (occasionally) new containers • Recycling rate is approx 20% in the US but the product is in demand by remanufacturers •

http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/recycling-symbols-plastics-460321

And more? • Number 2 Plastics HDPE (high density polyethylene) Found in: Milk jugs, juice bottles; bleach, detergent and household cleaner bottles; shampoo bottles; motor oil bottles; butter and yogurt tubs; Recycled into: Laundry detergent bottles, oil bottles, pens, recycling containers, floor tile, drainage pipe, lumber, benches, doghouses, picnic tables, fencing

Really? • Number 4 Plastics LDPE (low density polyethylene) Found in: Squeezable bottles; tote bags; clothing; furniture; carpet Recycled into: Trash can liners and cans, compost bins, shipping envelopes, paneling, lumber, landscaping ties, floor tile

And from here? • By Incorporating recycling into your home habits, it has been shown that waste to be collected can be reduced down to some 25% of its former size. • The 4 R’s currently take some doing in Barbados, however particularly with recycling, a community effort can prove to be beneficial for all involved • Through a sustained effort and raising the amount of items which are recycled, a precedent will be shown to reflect interest and gain government support • Government recognise, through the Solid Waste Project Unit, that waste sorting is beneficial to the country through the introduction of the waste transfer station now complete at Vaucluse, St Thomas. A section of this facility is available to individuals, with the bulk sorting coming from commercial contractors and Sanitation Service Authority vehicles.

For more information: Come visit the 4R’s Fair in Independence Square on Saturday, October 3 from 11.30 – 4.30pm. Free admission and all recyclers listed will have a booth to gather more information on how you can improve the environment of Barbados! Bring your telephone directories to be recycled at the fair too!

Counterpart Caribbean @ The Future Centre Our aim is to continue to raise awareness of the importance of preserving and respecting our environment for future generations in Barbados and the region.

Nicole Garofano

Counterpart Caribbean @ The Future Centre #1 Edgehill St Thomas Ph: 425 2020 Email: [email protected]

Website: www.counterpartcaribbean.org

Thank you for your attention

Questions and discussion Two quotes to consider:

“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.” “We do not inherit the earth from our John Muir fathers, we borrow it from our children”. Cree Indian Proverb