Waste Management

The management of all wastes poses serious environmental problems in Jamaica. Solid waste collection and disposal operations present many serious environmental, public health, social and liability problems and risks. A growing number of urban rural households lack satisfactory sanitation solutions. This causes pollution of groundwater, rivers and marine environments, and the threat of water born-borne disease. Technologies for non-polluting, on-site sanitation do exist and are introduced in a few areas. However, they are not reflected in existing codes or the Public Health Law. The pattern of solid waste generation is outlined in Table I.

Type of Waste	Amount Generated	Disposal Method
Municipal	2775 tonnes/day(2726 tons/day)	Dumpsites
Ship-generated	5310 tonnes/day[1992](5215 tons/day)	National dumpsites
Industrial	572 tonnes/day(562 tons/day)	Dumpsites/on-site solid waste landfills
Agricultural	No data available	On-site and some reuse in feeds and fertilizers
Table I. Generation and Disposal of Solid Waste

Source: IDB

As much as 50 percent of the solid waste generated in the country is attributed to the Kingston Metropolitan Area (KMA). Approximately 80 percent of the total waste generated in the country is collected by five Parks and Markets Companies, private companies wholly-owned by the Government. The quality of their service has been deteriorating because of budgetary constraints. Approximately 20 percent of the generated waste is handled by private collectors.

Official waste disposal sites in Jamaica all have a high potential for contributing to pollution of soil, water and air. They lack conventional solid waste disposal site equipment, resulting in inadequate and improper burial of solid waste. Unauthorized dumpsites proliferate and these can usually be found in remote areas where detection is difficult. These are often created by private waste disposal contractors who sometimes despoil water ways and beach lands.

Substantial installation and/or upgrading of waste management facilities are required for both public and private sectors. A national solid waste management study is to be conducted, with support from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), from which a rationalization of the current solid waste system will be effected. Rationalisation of the existing unacceptable dump sites is expected to be recommended as well as upgrading to sanitary landfills. The Government has already targeted the Kingston Metropolitan Region (KMR), Montego Bay and the other tourist resort towns as areas for priority attention.

Ship-generated waste is also a concern as the International Convention on the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL 73/78) requires that home ports must have port reception facilities to treat and dispose of these wastes. Jamaica has not yet identified such port facilities. Ship-generated waste is expected to increase with more cruise ships coming to the island and with other developments such as floating restaurants and house boats. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has established a regional centre in Trinidad to assist Jamaica and other Caribbean nations in dealing with this problem.

The national average sewage generation has been put at about 455 million litres per day (100 MGD). Of this about 25 percent is collected and treated in established treatment systems and the remainder disposed of by way of on-site disposal systems (pit latrines, soak-aways, septic tanks, etc.). The major urban centres of Kingston and St. Andrew, Montego Bay, South East St. Catherine and Clarendon account for about 50 percent of the waste generated. Treatment facilities in these areas are inadequate, with the most critical environmental manifestation being the pollution of Kingston Harbour.

Improper sewage treatment and disposal is the main contributor to pollution of Kingston Harbour. In this regard, the infrastructure for sewage disposal needs improvement. The Government has recognized this need and there is a programme underway for clean-up of the Harbour funded by the World Bank, International Development Agency and United Nations Environment Programme and involving a sewage collection and treatment system for the Kingston Metropolitan Area. The government has also embarked on projects to improve sewage treatment and disposal systems in two tourist resort towns, Ocho Rios and Negril, with funding support from the European Development Fund of the European Community.

Special wastes such as medical waste, tires and hazardous wastes pose particular problems in Jamaica. The present system of incinerators for medical waste appears plagued by poor design, poor operation and inadequate and irregular maintenance. The implications for waste handlers and scavengers are serious. Scrap tires in landfills tend to deteriorate very slowly and provide a mosquito breeding ground. Hazardous waste often ends up at dump sites with other solid waste material because of the absence of a hazardous waste dump facility in the country.

Critical concerns related to waste management in Jamaica include:

delays in implementation of appropriate waste management schemes due to the lack of a comprehensive waste management policy;
application of waste management technology has not sufficiently responsive to changing conditions;
inadequate attention is paid to specific physical characteristics of the island (alluvial, coastal or hilly limestone); and
lack of awareness in the general population of the importance of proper waste management practices.

Actions:
- Government will develop a comprehensive policy and regulatory framework for management of waste. In this regard, Government will address the fragmented approach of several agencies having responsibility for various aspects of waste management. Specific strategies to address each of the issues will be developed through consultation with the Ministry of Local Government, the Water Resources Authority, the Environmental Control Division (ECD) of the Ministry of Health and other related agencies such as Scientific Research Council and the University of the West Indies.
- In the next year Government will seek a full feasibility study to determine the technical and financial requirements for creating a hazardous waste disposal site. The results of the study will be used to define an incentive framework which encourages a private firm to design, build and operate such a facility in compliance with environmental standards. The draft procedures and requirements for permitting and operation of waste disposal facilities will be finalized. In addition promotion of on-site sanitation has begun and will be extended under the government initiatives for provision of housing land.
Economic Policy Actions for Waste Management:
- Within the next two years, the National Water Commission will commission a study of the costs of sewerage services and review its tariff structure with a view of making from costs recovery.
- Within the next year, Government will complete a set of standards for industrial waste discharge and establish a fee structure based on the quantity and quality of the discharge, including penalties that are set at an appropriate level to discourage illegal discharges.
- Within the next two years, Government will develop a system of cost recovery for solid waste collection and disposal which covers the full costs of these services through the use of household disposal fees and a tipping fee system for industrial refuse. In conjunction with these cost recovery measures, efforts will be strengthened to eliminate illegal dumping.
- Throughout the next three years, Government will create an incentive framework for recycling and reuse of materials through study of returnable deposit fees to buyers of goods such as automobiles, tires, plastic bags, batteries and cans. Government will also work to create incentives for local industries to process these products for recycling.

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