Minister for Health and Social Development Honourable Vincent O Wheatley is working alongside senior officials and staff of the Department of Waste Management to take action on the issues impacting waste management in the Territory.
One key area of focus is the Pockwood Pond dumpsite, where the Minister recently visited staff in the company of Manager for the Department of Waste Management Mr. Neville Allen, Assistant Manager for the Department of Waste Management Mr Anslem Myers and District 1 Representative Dr The Honourable Karl Dawson.
The facility is said to be in dire need of greater security, to ensure that unauthorised persons do not have access to the dumpsite after hours.
This, as it is believed that most of the fires started at the site are intentional.
Matters surrounding the repair of the incinerator and the removal of derelict vehicles and equipment from across the Territory have also been noted as high priority.
The Health Minister lamented the longstanding waste management issue that has endured successive administrations and stressed that as a new government there needs to be a message that the voice of the people on such issues will be heard.
“We want to be seen early on giving the incinerator and dumpsite their due attention. I want to come and get a fresh look at what the current reality is, and this here is not sustainable going forward. So, we must look at the possible solution and the possible direction that we want to take waste management into”, he said.
He stressed that while waste management appears to be a global issue, there needs to be deliberate action to safeguard the environment in the Virgin Islands considering the Territory’s heavy reliance on the Tourism Industry.
“It is important as the Minister for Health to ensure we can do what we can to get the waste management issue under control in as short a time as we can. So, from day one I want to be on the ground working with my colleagues to support what we are trying to do here,” he said.
Dr The Honourable Karl Dawson also spoke on the importance of taking swift action to address the incinerator and waste management issues that are affecting District 1 and the wider Virgin Islands.
“The impact is great for us, and we intend to do our part in the district. This includes leading the way in recycling efforts and certain efforts to ensure there is less waste coming to any landfill that we create because we realise the solution is not simply to build better incinerators but to have less waste. It calls for a mind shift and we want to lead that shift in the VI”, he said.