‘Every time we clean, they dump illegally’
These workers from the Department of Waste Management are captured cleaning up an illegal dump site on Tortola. (Photo Credit: BVI News)
Employees of the Department of Waste Management (DWM) are disgruntled about the issue of illegal dumping in the territory and want government to intervene.
BVI News was recently invited to witness the day-to-day activities of the workers of that department, first-hand.
Their daily backbreaking routine involves clearing broken glass and old sheets of galvanized metal, as well as clearing wood, furniture, and appliances that are continuously dumped near the territory’s dumpsters.
The DWM said illegal dumping mainly happens at ‘blind spot’ locations such as the dumpster near a well-known nightclub in Free Bottom, and truck drivers are being described as the main culprits.
“We urge people to take these things to the dump at Pockwood Pond. It wasn’t so bad before but after the storm, the trucks are getting more jobs and the majority of the stuff, they come in and dump them in these areas,” said Programme Supervisor at DWM, Gareen Nibbs.
“Imagine you paying someone to take out your stuff to the dump and you come next to a bin and you meet all your stuff there. Imagine how you would feel. It is not only for us who are doing these kinds of work, it is for these people too.”
Nibbs
More work for employees
Nibbs said cleaning up waste from prohibited dump sites practice is time-consuming to his department.
“We take at least one day out of the week to deal with it; mostly on a Friday. But, if we see it get too bad before [that day], we will tackle it.”
“Sometimes you might see the guys taking a break and say these guys don’t do any work but this is what we have to deal with on a daily basis,” he added.
Government’s intervention needed
David ‘Frenchie’ Douglas, who has been working with the department for the last seven years, said government should address the matter.
“I’m tired of every time we clean; they dump stuff all over. The government need to do something about that. They need to put something in place because lawd we working hard– too hard. Every week is the same thing.”
Douglas
The DWM has the legal authority fine perpetrators for illegal dumping, BVI News was told.
The department said persons who are unable to properly dispose of their bulky waste can alert the DWM to assist at no cost.
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Stop the damn whining and take action. How much can it cost to put cameras and a big sign stating “YOU ARE BEING RECORDED ON CCTV. ILLEGAL DUMPING CARRIES A FINE OF $10K. PLEASE DO THE RIGHT THING!”
How hard would that be? This practice only occus in a few areas. Put cameras, increase the fines, make a few examples out of perps and watch it stop!!
They need to be slapped with a fine of $20K instead of $10K.
It is always the same story in BVI: good laws, but no enforcement at all.
and where are you? Maine?
It’s those nastiass islun people who doing it
WE ARE ALL Island People… Stop the stupidness!
Maybe if you had a well publicized plan of action to sought and dispose of waste things would be different.
There was a camera at the Purcell/Free Bottom dump site. Fix the camera, take note of the license plates and fine the vehicle owners. You may not be able to find them easily but there are ways around this situation. Work with the department of motor vehicles. They cannot have their driver’s license or vehicle license renewed unless the fines are paid.
People seem to think it’s the residents of Purcell/Free Bottom doing this all the time but it’s not. I have seen vehicles come from other villages filled with their bulky waste and simply just throw them off their vehicles.
Waste Management: Require residents and yourself to sought the garbage before dumping the garbage. Hire young people at the dump sites to collect, sought and dispose of the waste. There is money in this operation, lake a look at what other countries are doing. Penalize the importers for producing unnecessary waste which causes the tax payer to clean up their mess.
people are just nasty and lazy
The department said persons who are unable to properly dispose of their bulky waste can alert the DWM to assist at no cost. (If this is the case then truly person should have no excuse)
easy fix put bigger dumpsters in town area and the east end area, because sometimes asking to go pockwood pond is a bit much then individuals to dump their bulk waste. we still have a lot of waste to be cleaned before next hurricane season even encourage a bulk waste day in certain areas every week cause it’s going to be a long time before we get this waste problem under control
P.S stop sitting back and saying people nasty and lazy think of ways to curb the problem
No worries, they’re putting together a consultancy contract and will bring someone in from overseas to tell them these simple things.
Do what they do in America, 1st Saturday of every month is big bulk items with your regular trash. It may reduce the illegal dumping.
Not every resident can transport solid waste to Pockwood Pond. So there should be designated areas in every community away from the main roads where residents can place bulk waste.
Solid waste can then take it from there to Pockwood, or wherever. I swear we have the most incompetent people working in our government departments. Always complaining and hardly doing anything productive.
For example, why did they close the bulk waste site at Pariquita Bay?
Frenchie !
Yeah Frenchie…professional r– champion..Lawd have mercy…lawrddy!
We praise BVIEC and those guys worked haaaard, but these Waste management guys work equally hard. I think they need to be honoured with a lunch, dinner, recognition or something to thank them for all they do.
When I pass through and see those dump sites my heart sinks and I am not even the one who has to clean it up. I have also seen with my eyes these guys clear up a site to perfection and before the next week, its stocked to capacity again. I believe it is unfair to them and those persons doing these things should be considerate of others.
Yes, we pay them to work but they are human too. Right is right and fair is fair!
Whatever it takes to remedy this situation, needs to be done ASAP!
It’s high time the country take serious action against illegal dumping.
Shame on the lack of country pride.
It is sickening to see how some people dispose of garbage and large bulky waste. Some who are drivimg pickup trucks carrying a full truckload of stuff can carry their stuff to the incinerator but nooo they empty all their large items in and around the bin. The department and even the garbagetrucks have to now spend a much longer time picking up the trash.
The DWM guys do a good job of cleaning up but some members of the community have become totally nasty and could care less about cleanliness.
The long and short of the matter is that no one enforces the law so this will continue to happen until the authority steps in.
On another note, several of the re recreation fields are not being properly maintained. Persons are being paid as caretakers but are not doing the work. This needs to be looked into as well.
Needed a longtime talk up speak out
Its not only on Tortola. Virgin Gorda has the same issues too. We need to remove all those big dumpsters from the road sides. We need to reduce the size of the trucks and do door to door collection . Anegada does not have this problem. They DO NOT have ONE dumpster anywhere on the roadsides. In addition these dumpsters harbor RATS
So first Skelton came and said that people will have to clean the bush around them cos the government can’t get to certain places, now you are whining cos you have to pick up the garbage? Shut ¥π€ £√©¢ up and just do it. People can’t afford to pay for gas to go all the way there. You have one job Pick Garbage up. That’s it. Once it’s near a dump it can’t be illegal