Finally the Turks and Caicos citizens can enjoy a nationwide plan that has a strong possibility of bringing the management and disposal of solid waste across the Islands into the 21st century.
The company awarded the government contract and formidable task of ‘cleaning’ the nation is TCEM (Turks and Caicos Environmental Management) an affiliate of Sanitas Partners whose mission statement is “to provide environmentally secure waste solutions to national, regional and local governments across the globe.”
Example of Transfer Station on left.
Spearheading this long awaited project is CEO, James Hodge and his son Tim, President of TCEM who are no strangers to the TCI and together with a qualified and experienced team have researched and formulated a comprehensive plan to privatize the solid waste management and provide a variety of services that will benefit all the inhabited Islands in the TCI.
The plan in a nutshell?
Providenciales will be the main station and centre for the disposal of garbage collected from every island and off loaded to a super modern solid waste landfill facility.
One of the key components of the plan is to close out the old landfills on the outer Islands by barging out to Providenciales, all the containerized garbage on a regular basis.
One of the key components of the plan is to close out the old landfills on the outer Islands by barging out to Providenciales, all the containerized garbage on a regular basis.
The Islands will in a practical sense be a temporary ‘solid waste’ holding station or ‘transfer’ station.
However, each transfer station will be designed to meet the unique set of criteria for each Island and planned with input from the community to facilitate the transfer of consolidated waste in an efficient and practicable format.
In the long term these initiatives and strategy will eventually eliminate existing methane greenhouse emissions now present at the current obsolete landfills.
In the long term these initiatives and strategy will eventually eliminate existing methane greenhouse emissions now present at the current obsolete landfills.
Another important feature of the modern landfill facility on Providenciales, is that TCEM anticipate that in the foreseeable future the landfill will be able to produce enough electricity to power almost one third of the homes in the TCI.
In real terms this means that diesel emissions from the existing system of generating electricity will be drastically reduced.
SALT CAY
From a Salt Cay point of view we need to be thinking of how these initiatives by TCEM will impact Salt Cay?
The recent money released from the Fund may need to be reallocated more efficiently. For example it seems pointless to dig another hole for the rubbish etc when we could pssibly divert the funds in such a way that will facilitate the initiatives of TCEM. Perhaps start recycling???
At a recent meeting TCEM said they could provide containers for the island of Salt Cay and will in the next few weeks be starting an 'educational program' on 'waste management' which TCEM said they would be bringing to all the islands.
Does anyone have some ideas for making the transfer station on Salt Cay efficient?
It would be forward thinking to discuss any ideas before the next DC meeting .
The Turks and Caicos Islands has made yet another positive step in demonstrating that the National slogan ‘beautiful by nature’ are not just hollow words but a small but important commitment toward a clean and healthy environment.
The Turks and Caicos Islands has made yet another positive step in demonstrating that the National slogan ‘beautiful by nature’ are not just hollow words but a small but important commitment toward a clean and healthy environment.
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