SOLID waste disposal and high cost of energy are two major challenges that Jamaica has to address in the pursuit of integrated environmental management and sustainable development. The philosophy and principles of integrated environmental management and sustainable development require the establishment of an integrated solid waste management system which prioritises garbage separation and minimisation at the household level or at source, the provision of solid waste collection for all members of the society, the reduction of solid waste going to the disposal sites through initiatives such as composting of organic waste or anaerobic decomposition of food waste to produce biogas, recycling, waste to energy, the establishment of sanitary landfills and sealed depots for the safe disposal of toxic and harmful waste materials, etc…

While solutions to the high cost of energy can be addressed separately by each productive sector of the economy, solid waste disposal remains a collective problem as a result of its direct impacts on public health and the integrity of the ecosystem.

Further, high cost of energy has been argued as one of the main factors for Jamaica’s low economic productivity and competitiveness when compared to other regional and international competitors with low cost of energy.

In response, Jamaica’s powerful manufacturing sector had given ultimatum to the Government to present its short-term and long-term detailed energy policy. Constant discussions regarding the high cost of energy continues to dominate the socioeconomic development agenda in Jamaica, while the improper disposal of solid waste is only remembered when there is a fire at one of the disposal sites. The fires and smokes would have been ignored if the disposal sites were located far from the urban centres in isolated districts in the rural areas.

Ironically, though, the natural combustion of fires at the disposal sites is the only evidence that all the gases generated by decomposed organic and inorganic waste materials throughout the years might have not permeated through the underground water or reached the Kingston Harbour. In other words, the annual ignition of fires at the disposal sites is still the lesser evil. The contamination of the aquifer and pollution of the Kingston Harbour might be much more harmful and even impossible to cope with. Only one financially struggling advocacy group, Jamaica Environmental Trust, has challenged the Government and its agencies to construct sanitary landfills in order to reduce the incidence of fires at the disposal sites.

Reasons for waste to energy

Since waste to energy reduces the solid waste collected by more than 90 per cent and can directly generate electrical energy, it seems to be an ideal opportunity for Jamaica to address the waste disposal issue and save millions of dollars from purchasing petroleum to produce electricity. This situation may explain the rationale behind the inclusion of waste to energy in the current Jamaica’s energy policy.

Waste to energy represents an attractive option as it cuts the waste disposal cost by half, allows the municipal authorities to spend less on fuel to transport the solid waste very far, supports recycling through the recovery of metals, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and and operates under stringent regulations set by the local and national environmental agencies.

Urban population growth and socioeconomic development bring about huge volumes of solid waste with a rising and astronomical disposal cost. Most urban residents vehemently oppose the siting of new landfills near their communities given the negative impacts on property value, aesthetics, public health and safety. That is why it is recommended to close down any sanitary landfill after 25 years of use. There is no need then to wonder what to with controlled dumpsites that have no methane gas collection mechanisms.

It is well-known that most urban centres of more than 1,000,000 residents experience serious solid waste disposal problems with a varying waste composition that is mostly made up of inorganic or non-biodegradable waste. For example, the Riverton City disposal site has already reached capacity and receives more than 1,000 tonnes of solid waste every day. This volume would have been increased if the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) was able to collect and transport more than 70 per cent of the waste estimated to the disposal site. Some rural communities receive little to no solid waste collection.

Contrary to what policymakers and waste managers think, waste to energy is the least preferred treatment to solid waste in most developed countries. In the United States of America, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reported that Waste to energy accounted for less than 15 per cent of the waste generated in 2011, about 35 per cent was recycled, and 52 per cent was disposed of in sanitary landfills. However, waste to energy is very popular in Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea because of land scarcity and technological advancements. Still, the Japanese recycle more than 70 per cent of the solid waste generated.

Most developing countries do not even bother discuss waste to energy as a waste treatment as they have vast amounts of idle land and sadly cannot afford to collect and transport the whole volume of solid waste produced by the urban and rural communities to the unsafe disposal sites.

Waste to energy, therefore, is a capitalist venture. It is a self-finance enterprise. However, local and central governments may have to guarantee the loan that will be needed as capital investment to construct the waste to energy plant.

Waste to energy is mainly driven by economic profits, while offering cheaper cost for solid waste disposal to the local and central governmental authorities. Rich municipalities selected waste to energy as waste treatment because of the expensive and rising cost of solid waste disposal rather than the production of energy at cheaper cost. Besides, the production of electrical energy at cheaper cost may be a deterrent to potential investors. Waste to energy would have been the preferred solid waste treatment of all non-petroleum countries in terms of waste disposal and cheap electricity generation.

From a financial perspective, a waste to energy company relies on three revenue streams to guarantee the success of the venture (private or private-public partnership): Tipping fee, Sale of electricity, and Sale of recyclables.

In the case of Jamaica, the waste to energy company would need to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the NSWMA and the solid waste private companies or individual solid waste collector by agreeing on how much these entities will be charged for each tonne of refuse transported to the plant. Another Memorandum of Understanding has to be signed with the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) regarding an agreed rate, or a rate set by the Office of Utilities and Regulations (OUR), for each kilowatt hour of electricity sent to the national grid. Also, there may be a last Memorandum of Understanding with the recycling companies for the sale of recyclables that did not dissolve from the burning of the waste stream. The waste to energy company will then pay a fee to the operator of a sanitary landfill to dispose of the ashes.

Tipping fee

The tipping fee is the disposal cost that the waste owner pays to the waste to energy company in order to dispose of the solid waste collected and transported to the plant. It is usually charged by tonne of solid waste. It is the surest source of revenue for a waste to energy company.

While I own the goods that I bought from the supermarket, the law of Jamaica requires that I transfer the ownership of the waste that I produce after consuming the goods to the NSWMA or a solid waste private company. On the UWI, Mona Campus, I pass the ownership of the waste I produce to the university, which uses its own truck to transport the refuse to Riverton City.

The solid waste private company directly levies a fee on the original waste owner for collection and transportation services. In a waste to energy system, the solid waste private companies are to pay a tipping fee to the waste to energy company as well. Since the tipping is evaluated by tonne, the promotion of separation at source, composting and recycling initiatives will become the best way to reduce the tipping fees that will be charged by the waste to energy company to the NSWMA and solid waste private companies or individual collector. Waste to energy is an attractive solid waste treatment in Jamaica in order to effectively promote waste separation at source and a comprehensive policy on composting and recycling.

Sale of electricity and recyclables

The sale of electricity brings another source of revenue to fund the operation costs of the waste to energy company. The price of electricity may fluctuate and is usually determined based on the cost of other sources of energy. In countries that prioritise investments in renewable energy sources, the authorities offer serious advantages by maintaining an attractive rate for each kWh of electricity generated and sold by a waste to energy company. However, a waste to energy company tends to ensure that the bulk of their operation cost comes from tipping fees over which they have some level of control.

The sale of recyclables or scrap metals is another revenue stream for the waste to energy company. The amount of recyclables resulting from the incineration of the solid waste depends on the level of waste separation at source, the level of the environmental, and recycling behaviour of the community and the strength of the recycling programmes.

Conclusions

No solution to the solid waste problem is possible without political will and the active involvement of the citizenry, since economic opportunities have always existed in the solid waste sector.

Jamaica has a lot to gain in selecting waste to energy as an approach to reducing the amount of solid waste going to the unsafe disposal sites. It will be great to include anaerobic decomposition of organic and food waste to produce biogas.

The solid waste sector needs a new comprehensive policy focusing on integrated solid waste management and economic opportunities such as the production of biogas and direct generation of electricity. The policy may require the inputs from several ministries and agencies. Solid waste disposal drives waste to energy. Inefficient solid waste collection and limited financial investment in solid waste disposal are obstacles to a waste to energy policy.

It is evident that there is a looming environmental and public health crisis which can emerge at any time in Jamaica if serious decisions are not made regarding the construction of sanitary landfills (small or big) to dispose of the solid waste from the rural areas or ashes from the waste to energy plant. Waste to energy requires significant capital investment upfront. It can be disastrous if it is not well planned. Government bonds could be used to set up the waste to energy company. It could be given the responsibility to arrange for the collection and transportation of solid waste to the plant by contracting the services of smaller solid waste collection companies. A portion of the environmental levy collected by the Government on goods entering Jamaica could be used to cover the collection, transportation and disposal costs of solid waste. Private companies or other individual entities will pay a disposal fee to the waste to energy company. The NSWMA may play a regulatory role rather than being both a regulator and a service provider.

Dr Claudel Noel is a project officer at the Centre for Environmental Management at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus. Comments: claudel.noel02@uwimona.edu.jm