Operations

The principal services of the Authority relate to the storage, collection, transportation and disposal of waste.

In providing for the proper storage of waste the Authority has and still provides storage containers for public utilisation. The containers are primarily 1.5cubic metre metal skips and plastic bins. These containers are principally located at strategic areas of St. Johns. An ongoing difficulty the Authority faces is the unauthorised removal and/or destruction of the storage receptacles provided by the Authority. As a result of this problem the Authority is severely challenged to have an adequate supply of solid waste storage containers around the capital city and at other places where people may from time to time congregate.

The collection of solid waste is a routine service performed by the Authority. This service is provided using a combination of private and government owned equipment and vehicles. Solid waste is collected twice daily in the city of St. Johns. Selected urban areas are serviced twice weekly. Suburban and rural areas are serviced once weekly.

The arrangement for the collection of household waste is that household waste from the various areas is collected on a routine and scheduled basis using compactor trucks. On the other hand, the collection of bulk waste (items too large for the compactor trucks) has to be prearranged. Bulk waste is generally done using open trucks collecting bulk waste on a weekly basis.

Most of the collected waste is transported and disposed of at the Cooks landfill. A site at Burma is used sparingly to dispose of special wastes such as expired pharmaceuticals, hazardous chemicals and lead acid batteries.

A new sanitary landfill has been constructed at Cooks. This new landfill is equipped with a geo-synthetic lining and leachate collection systems to prevent environmental pollution, a site office, a weigh bridge, bin washers, tyre baler, and storage facilities for hazardous wastes. The waste management technology at the new Cooks sanitary landfill is modern, approaching state-of-the-art.

A similar sanitary landfill facility has also been constructed at Plantation in Barbuda. Barbuda's facilities and equipment include: The sanitary Cell and Leechate treatment lagoon, equipment Storage Shed and Office, 2 Compactor Trucks and 1 Side Loader. The Barbudan population can pride itself in being one of the smallest communities in the world to possess such a state of the art disposal facility.

Regarding the vehicular and equipment contingent, the Authority has sought to ensure that a proper maintenance regimen in place so that equipment downtime is kept to a minimum and that the cost of significant repair and overhaul can be contained.

In addition to the principal services of solid waste storage, collection, transportation and disposal, the Authority has a public awareness and education campaign which we consider to be a vital part of our operations. This component is the responsibility of the Environmental Educator who manages the Environmental Services Department of the Authority. The Educator's responsibilities include working with non-government organisations (NGOs) and community based organisations (CBOs) in order to implement waste management projects. The Authority believes that critical to the success of its mission is instilling a "Keep Clean" as opposed to a "Clean Up" mindset. It is through participatory education that we seek to facilitate this mindset finding root among residents, particularly the young.