A backward step!
That’s how prominent businessman Ralph ‘Bizzy’ Williams is describing Government’s recent imposition of a tipping fee, which he says has taken the country back to being a dumping ground.
Williams, who owns the Sustainable Barbados Recycling Centre (SBRC) at Vaucluse, St Thomas, said the situation today reminded him of that which existed before his company and B’s Recycling, which is owned by businessman Paul Bynoe, came along and cleaned up the entire country.
He is concerned that with the recent introduction of the tipping fee, which is being levied at $40 per load of waste delivered to SBRC for processing, Barbadians are once again engaging in indiscriminate dumping.
“It don’t seem like in keeping with what the Prime Minister said down in South America about how Barbados was going green. These taxes seem contrary to that statement,” Williams told Barbados TODAY, while pointing out that the tipping fee has had a tremendous impact on the behaviour of Barbadians.
He lamented that while public health officials had been trying to clean up areas in St Lucy, “people dumping indiscriminately all over the island”.
“I think we are going to become a dumping ground just now, just like it was before SBRC opened. It’s only since SBRC opened that the island cleaned up; between SBRC and Paul’s [Bs Recycling]. But now we going backward now,” Williams suggested.
His comments come against the backdrop of a photograph, which is now making the rounds on social media showing a private hauler with his vehicle backed up to a Government-owned Sanitation Service Authority (SSA) truck, as he disposed of his garbage, apparently in an attempt to avoid paying the tipping fee.
Last month at the height of protest action by the Movers and Haulers Group against the fee, members of that organization had warned that environmental and health problems were likely to emerge as a result of indiscriminate dumping.
Spokesman Anderson Cherry of Jose Y Jose had cautioned that the “unaffordability” of the fee would force truckers who would otherwise deliver their waste to SBRC, to dump it illegally.
A management official of the SBRC has since admitted that there has been a significant reduction in the volume of waste delivered to that facility.
He noted that the contract with Government provided for a maximum of 1,000 tonnes per day, but the company was only getting upwards of 400 tonnes from movers and haulers.
However, during last week’s Budget debate, Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler told Parliament the tipping fee was here to stay, as he announced a modified version of the controversial levy, which has been set at $40 per tonne, with lower rates for lesser loads. The original fee was set at $25 per tonne.
Today, chairman of the Waste Movers and Haulers Group Charles Read told Barbados TODAY his organization was awaiting word on a meeting with the Minister of Finance to discuss this and other issues affecting the sector.
Read said the language used in the Budget was vague and contradictory and therefore the promised meeting with Sinckler should clear up all of their misgivings.
With regards to the photograph making the rounds on the Internet, he called for the appropriate authorities to carry out an investigation and to hold someone accountable.
“This is wrong, wrong, wrong. Some private body is using public money to their benefit,” said Read, in reference to the private trucker who appeared to be dumping his garbage into the state-owned SSA vehicle.
He said that while their concerns were being worked on by Government, the movers and haulers would continue to comply with requirements to pay the tipping fees as was their moral and legal obligation.
“But we are keen to see what comes out of the consultations [with Minister Sinckler],” Read said.
emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb
“We write our name on history’s page With expectations great Strict guardians of our heritage Firm craftsmen of our fate.”…
The fear which once surrounded the contraction of HIV no longer exists and as a result Barbadians have returned to…
Government is in the process of establishing an internal audit unit to oversee the constant improvement and greater discipline in…
Barbadians must take greater responsibility for the behaviour of those, particularly young people, living around them. This was the stern…
Government has granted a five-year contract to a US-based firm to beef up marketing of the island’s products and services…
The Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training will be launching a new National Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET)…
View Comments
BAJANS ARE NASTY PEOPLE... I formed the company Envirotech some years to do recycling in B'dos and the then BLP government frustrated every effort I took to clean up this country because a friend of a minister from the UK wanted to do the same business in B'dos.
I had established a working relationship with the bottling companies, the hotel association and the super markets at the time and we significantly reduce the volume of waste going to the landfill but as usual we all know how business is done in this country (hands stretched out). At one point I had arranged funding for a complete hotel waste food project to support the pig farmers, all the equipment, vehicles etc and the BLP government railroaded that project as well.
During that period time I had several WHITE communities in B'dos reaching out to be part of the recycling effort. NOT ONE SINGLE BLACK community with the exception of Ealing Park Ch. were interested in the community based project even though it was free, they preferred to dump the bottles & plastics in the garbage all over the place.
There is nothing wrong with having a tipping fee, it is done all over the world, businesses in B'dos are cheap and poorly managed that is why this fee is causing them hassles. Whether the fee is in place or not, there will still be significant dumping all over the island because we as a people don't get what the impact of our actions are, so long as the garbage is not on my property we don't care. Just drive around the country and you will see people throwing stuff through the car windows, go to any picnic site/beach and you will see even though there are bins right there, people just dump the garbage all over the place.
Yes the sanitation service has its issues but the major problem is with NASTY BAJANS.
BAJANS ARE NASTY PEOPLE... I formed the company Envirotech some years to do recycling in B'dos and the then BLP government frustrated every effort I took to clean up this country because a friend of a minister from the UK wanted to do the same business in B'dos.
I had established a working relationship with the bottling companies, the hotel association and the super markets at the time and we significantly reduce the volume of waste going to the landfill but as usual we all know how business is done in this country (hands stretched out). At one point I had arranged funding for a complete hotel waste food project to support the pig farmers, all the equipment, vehicles etc and the BLP government railroaded that project as well.
During that period time I had several WHITE communities in B'dos reaching out to be part of the recycling effort. NOT ONE SINGLE BLACK community with the exception of Ealing Park Ch. were interested in the community based project even though it was free, they preferred to dump the bottles & plastics in the garbage all over the place.
There is nothing wrong with having a tipping fee, it is done all over the world, businesses in B'dos are cheap and poorly managed that is why this fee is causing them hassles. Whether the fee is in place or not, there will still be significant dumping all over the island because we as a people don't get what the impact of our actions are, so long as the garbage is not on my property we don't care. Just drive around the country and you will see people throwing stuff through the car windows, go to any picnic site/beach and you will see even though there are bins right there, people just dump the garbage all over the place.
Yes the sanitation service has its issues but the major problem is with NASTY BAJANS.
Mr Loveridge never seems to comment about the many visitors who complain about the bushy park drivers all over the island. Not condoning that we should indulge in reckless dumping.....
Mr Loveridge never seems to comment about the many visitors who complain about the bushy park drivers all over the island. Not condoning that we should indulge in reckless dumping.....
Hmmm!! Seem like we even DEEPER in SHOITE
Hmmm!! Seem like we even DEEPER in SHOITE
Should read 'OUR' visitors
Should read 'OUR' visitors
We have seen anything yet. Dumping has been going on for years even without a tipping fee. On a short walk this morning, I counted at least three indiscriminately dumped large piles of builders waste placed on neighbours land including by a high profile aspiring politician. Residents now have absolutely idea or when garbage willl be collected by the SSA, so bags are left out for stray animals to ransack and the wind carries the contents all over the place. What is also obvious is that the people have to recycle a great deal more. Nearly half the dissapated garbage counted this morining was plastic, glass and cans. Mr Williams should team up with Mr Bynoe and corporate Barbados to place recycling skips in stragegic places and the public have to be educated to use them. If we are really serious about tourism
are visitors are openly discussing that the destination looks like a garbage dump.
Good ideas. Also people like Massy & the other supermarket owners should place recycling bins outside their shops to collect plastic, glass, paper, cardboard etc for delivery to the SBRC & B's
Government must also ban the use of plastic carrier bags too. Barbados is the only place I have been where I can go shopping & return with more carrier bags than groceries!!
We have seen anything yet. Dumping has been going on for years even without a tipping fee. On a short walk this morning, I counted at least three indiscriminately dumped large piles of builders waste placed on neighbours land including by a high profile aspiring politician. Residents now have absolutely idea or when garbage willl be collected by the SSA, so bags are left out for stray animals to ransack and the wind carries the contents all over the place. What is also obvious is that the people have to recycle a great deal more. Nearly half the dissapated garbage counted this morining was plastic, glass and cans. Mr Williams should team up with Mr Bynoe and corporate Barbados to place recycling skips in stragegic places and the public have to be educated to use them. If we are really serious about tourism
are visitors are openly discussing that the destination looks like a garbage dump.
Good ideas. Also people like Massy & the other supermarket owners should place recycling bins outside their shops to collect plastic, glass, paper, cardboard etc for delivery to the SBRC & B's
Government must also ban the use of plastic carrier bags too. Barbados is the only place I have been where I can go shopping & return with more carrier bags than groceries!!