Our beautiful island of San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, is part of the Government of Belize’s project to improve solid waste management that will support the goals of environmental protection, natural resource conservation, and protection of public health, safety and welfare.
The project consists of an enclosed building that will be constructed for the transfer station which will be located on the west side of the island in the Marina area. All waste will be collected and transported by barges to the Regional Sanitary Landfill located in Mile 24 on the Western Highway.
Councilor Kenrick Brackett, whose portfolio includes Solid Waste Management, met with Ambergris Today and explained what preparations the Town Council is taking in order to be ready for when this project kicks off.
The project, which is being carried out by the Government of Belize, should have been fully functional in the beginning of this year but so far it is still at its preliminary stages. The San Pedro Town Council plans on getting island residents prepared for when this project commences and have everyone informed and used to the proper way of disposing their garbage for the easy transfer of the waste to the mainland.
“We want to be a step ahead of this project and we want island residents to start separating their garbage between biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes,” commented Councilor Brackett. “This is very important for residents to do since it will be a requirement when the Solid Waste Management Projects comes into effect in the near future.”
Brackett went on to saying that, even though it might be difficult for some residents to purchase two different colors of trash bag for the separating, they are asking residents to label the bags with something green for biodegradable and something red for non-biodegradable. Eventually the Town Council hopes get proper receptacles labeled for the disposal and separation of the garbage.
Below are some examples of biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes:
*Biodegradable wastes decompose into soil
-Kitchen food scraps, Garden waste, Paper and egg shells, Human and animal waste, Cardboard boxes.
*Non-biodegradable wastes take a long time or never to decompose
-Metal cans, Bottles, Toxic chemicals, Plastic products, Metal scraps.
The San Pedro Town Council will embark on a small campaign so as to sensitize and educate island residents on how to properly dispose of their garbage so that the program functions properly.
