JAMAICA is in urgent need of a general waste-management strategy that will also fix the problem at the Riverton dump, according to the Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CaPRI).

The view is contained in the not-for-profit, public policy think tank’s newest brief on urban waste management, which should be released this week.

CaPRI’s scheduled release of the brief coincides with the dump’s latest fire, which started last Wednesday and which has caused health and productivity problems in Kingston and St Andrew that are yet to be quantified.

On Friday, as heavy smoke from the dump blanketed the capital city, scores of schoolchildren were taken to hospitals and health centres to treat respiratory problems.

The education ministry ordered schools in the Corporate Area and St Catherine closed, and businesses were shuttered early.

National Solid Waste Management Authority Executive Director Jennifer Edwards estimated that the country would spend more than $75 million to put the blaze out.

Last year, a major fire at the dump resulted in a $75.9-million effort to put it out, and in February 2012 the Government spent $25 million on another major blaze, although the initial estimates were for $65 million.

In July last year, Local Government Minister Noel Arscott told the House of Representatives that fires at the landfill had cost the country $128 million since 2011.

In its study, CaPRI — which is based at the University of the West Indies — is suggesting that the waste-management strategy should look beyond fixing the problems being caused by the dump.

The think tank pointed out that during 2012, approximately 800,000 tonnes of residential waste was generated in the Kingston and St Andrew Metropolitan Region and an estimated 60 per cent of this waste was disposed of at the Riverton waste-shed.

“The annual cost to manage this facility was estimated at $6 billion, or nearly $16.8 million daily in 2007. The close proximity of the Riverton waste-shed to mangroves and the Duhaney River results in water pollution at these sites as well as in the Hunts Bay area. Heavy metal and pesticide contamination are also at high levels. Air pollution is another major concern with the frequency of landfill fires at the Riverton waste-shed,” CaPRI said.

“The backlash of these occurrences is not only the burden on taxpayers, but serious health concerns as residents of adjacent communities battle with respiratory problems, cardiac illnesses, disorientation, and dizziness,” CaPRI added.

“Ambient air quality monitoring revealed the presence of nitrogen dioxide, volatile organic compounds, and sulphur dioxide in high concentration in the surrounding areas.

CaPRI argued that the frequent occurrence of fires at Riverton has highlighted the need to increase awareness and understanding of the potential benefits of proper waste management and waste minimisation.

“These incidents also serve to highlight the dangerous waste-management practices and health issues associated with improper management at waste-sheds,” CaPRI said.

The think tank argued that the increased urgency to develop good waste management techniques is heightened by population growth. However, it pointed out that identifying suitable waste-sheds has become more and more difficult as land space becomes scarce and communities become more reluctant to live in close proximity to a “dump site”. In addition, locating waste-sheds close to water streams proves dangerous, as most streams and rivers are used as water sources in Jamaica.

According to CaPRI, while Jamaica battles with the decision regarding waste-sheds, the focus among the authorities is centred on waste minimisation and the maximisation of the current sites.

“However, Jamaica’s current waste-management initiative is inadequate, and legislative measures as set out by the National Environmental Planning Agency are not being adhered to,” CaPRI charged. “Therefore, there is a need to transform these waste-sheds into sustainable waste-management sites.”

As such, CaPRI made the following recommendations to achieve this objective:

* Access to the waste-shed should be limited and monitored. Only authorised workers should have access to the sites and steps taken to ensure full compliance.

* Strategic waste-management techniques and waste minimisation strategies (composting and recycling) should be incorporated on a wider scale in the waste management framework. It is also the responsibility of management to ensure that these waste-sheds are operated within the ambits of the law so as to prevent any irregularities that may arise.

* The waste-shed should be covered with dirt regularly as set out in the solid waste management legislation in order to reduce and prevent fires.

* Develop a sanitary landfill where waste is isolated from the environment until it is safe. It is considered safe when it is completely degraded biologically, chemically and physically. The transformation of the waste-shed into a sanitary landfill should start in phases if it cannot be fully transformed at once. This will give rise to energy from waste initiatives as well as recycling and composting on a broader scale.

* Relocation of waste-management facility. Creating sanitary landfills leads to the discussion of locating proper sites for waste management. A facility such as the Riverton waste-shed should not be located in an urban area due to population density and increased costs associated with security.

CaPRI said it anticipated that with the incorporation of these recommendations into Jamaica’s current waste management framework, the burden of waste-management on the Government would be reduced and so would the cost associated with any irregularities.

“The country would also benefit from the generation of energy locally, through waste-to-energy initiatives,” the think tank added.

Yesterday, CaPRI co-executive director Dr Christopher Tufton said it is now time for the Government to demonstrate a more genuine commitment to the divestment of the waste-sheds, starting with Riverton.

“This should be done in the form of a public/private partnership that allows it to provide a regulatory framework, as well as capitalisation and management through the private sector observing best practices as to how landfills are managed internationally,” Tufton said.