BVI News

Gov’t seeks fix for spontaneous dump fires! Home collections pause

File photo of a hillside fire at the Pockwood Pood waste facility on Tortola.

As the territory enjoys several weeks without any COVID-related lockdowns, the Ministry of Health has suspended its home garbage collection initiative and will be focusing on how to prevent spontaneous combustions at local dump sites.

Where house-to-house garbage collection is concerned, only some areas might benefit.

“We now have a full scale [map] as to which areas would be most effective in terms of house-to-house [collections]. But, clearly, not all the island would need to have the house-to-house. What we do need is to ensure that all of the community bins that we have; around them are kept pristine — clean so that we can then have a cleaner BVI,” Malone told BVI News in an interview on Sunday.

As home garbage collections are suspended, the ministry is reminding persons that, “the dumping of bulky waste at communal bin sites is illegal and that bulky waste should be disposed of directly to either the Pockwood Pond site in Tortola or the Valley Hill site on Virgin Gorda”.

Stopping spontaneous combustions

In the meantime, Malone said considerations for preventing spontaneous fires at the Pockwood Pond dump is being done under his ministry’s Waste Management Strategy for the territory.

He said public consultations will be had on the matter soon.

“The BVI Waste Management Strategy will incorporate what are our steps ahead for legislation and for an immediate, medium, and long-term fix to the issue of the spontaneous combustions at the waste [facility] down at Pockwood Pond and Virgin Gorda and Anegada,” the minister stated.

“We have to get it fixed and we have to reduce the amount of waste going into the stream. So it’ a comprehensive look that we are now embarking on. And coming this week, you will hear a lot more on it,” he further told our news centre.

Authorities have been dumping Tortola’s waste on, and along the hillside since an unrelated fire that rendered the Pockwood Pond incinerator non-functional back November 2018. The incinerator has since been repaired but there have been a number of fires where the piles of trash were being dumped.

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14 Comments

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  1. Doh says:

    The fix is simple

    Build an incinerator coupled to a boiler that in turn powers a generator. Trash is then converted to power.

    There have been several proposals put forward by multiple companies over the past decades yet our leaders won’t pull the trigger on any. Greed, graft, corruption and infighting are all to blame while the health and energy security of the BVI suffers.

    But carry on

    Like 18
    Dislike 1
    • Sigh says:

      I hate having to explain to my guests every week what is burning.

      For years when I travel to Norman or peter we see that smoke for miles. It’s sad for bvi seeing trash burn and no one cares about it.

      But bvilove…

      Onward and forward. Screw our health and the environment

    • STFU says:

      TALK TALK TALK! NO PLAN. Local companies have already proposed such amazing plans but we have yet to give them a chance. Just hurry come up with a plan because this is really affecting the residence of the Territory. I am patiently waiting for next weeks update. And don’t come VG with no BS plan!

  2. Home garbage collections says:

    Is it one of the many many VIP corruption schemes to get kickbacks to politicians..?

    Like 12
    Dislike 1
    • 1st district says:

      You are SO ON THE MONEY. All when we in the district could walk and drive to the village bin trucks was driving around in the village empty collecting. Corruption to the height!!

  3. compost the organic waste says:

    organic waste creates combustible methane gases- there should be composting facilities in place to separate organic waste and make compost to resell or build up the soil to help prevent erosion. There should also be recycling facilities for hazardous household waste (ie oven cleaner etc..)

    Like 9
    Dislike 1
  4. suspended! says:

    We had no idea the empty trucks were still driving round! Hilarious (not)

  5. What??? says:

    What f**king consultation? FIX THE F**KING INCINERATOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! These f**king idiot spending money on all manner of nonsense and won’t spend where we need it most. SICK OF YOU ALL!! All of them driving around in brand new SUVs at taxpayer expense and here talking about consultation regarding waste?

    Like 10
  6. EU citizen says:

    “Spontaneous”?
    I can’t believe anyone believes that lie any longer.

  7. BS says:

    All talk, no work.

    UK should implement an environmental tax to the BVI for every day this issue is not resolved. Love charging “environmental tax” to keep our BVI clean. Why? BVI clearly doesnt care.

    1. FIX THE INSINERATOR. If you cant fix it – BUY A NEW ONE! …. RIGHT NOW!!

    2. START MANDITORY RECYCLING (what happened to all of the recycle bins by the way?)

    3. SORT YOUR TRASH PROPERLY. Maybe use Cocks Heath as construction / bulk waste dump site. Allows Pockwood to sort large items and dispose of each kind properly.

    4. PUT SIGNAGE on your bins. INFORM people on what they need to do.

    5. MAKE TRASH BINS more available. Know how many times I have called this department trying to get information? Solid Waste could not even recommend independent companies that offer bin and disposal services. PATHETIC.

    6. ENVORCE & REGULATE business trash disposal. (IE: Restaurants, Marinas, Development complexes)

    6. FINE PEOPLE FOR LITTERING. Some people dont bother taking trash to the nearest bin – they just dump it in a nearby ghut or throw it just down the road somewhere. No pride for the BVI. Acting like animals.

    Go! Go do your job!

  8. "Spontaneous" says:

    Set by employees to lesson their workload and make more space

  9. What house to house? says:

    We haven’t had collection at our area since the first quarantine ended. So I guess government have been paying some of these contractors for not doing anything.

  10. Don’t Forget says:

    THE SCRUBBER!,

  11. Corporate boss says:

    Alkebulan Minds Recycling Inc. Has been listening and watching with our hands clasped in prayer to the Most High. The company must rise amidst the struggles the gov. Faces. Never will this company quit at our mission statement. Contact us hear what solutions our company can provide at [email protected]. regardless of avoidances the company will achieve higher heights!

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