Territory's Waste Officials Say Outdated System Requires New Laws, New Fees and Urgent Action on Green Waste

At a public hearing Thursday evening, Waste Management Authority officials and the University of the Virgin Islands’ Caribbean Green Technology Center laid out the scope of what they say is a long-overdue transformation of the territory’s waste system, one that would require new laws, new fees, modernized dump sites, better handling of specialty waste streams, and a phased strategy for tackling urgent problems such as green waste, illegal dumping, and aging infrastructure. While officials said a territory-wide sustainable materials management plan is taking shape and pointed to several recent steps already underway, many in attendance focused on when the proposed changes will actually begin. The V.I. Waste Management Authority, together with UVI’s Caribbean Green Technology Center, convened the hearing to discuss development of a territory-wide waste management plan. According to WMA Executive Director Hannibal Ware, the Authority is currently struggling to manage a “modern waste c...