FROM WASTE TO WEALTH

How innovators in the private sector are helping solve the Caribbean’s waste crisis

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]t’s not easy convincing companies to care about their waste but Saint Lucian entrepreneur Wayne Neale is doing just that. Managing Director of waste management and recycling firm Greening the Caribbean, Neale is helping the private sector set an example by introducing environmentally friendly practices that are good for the earth, and companies’ bottom line.

Greening the Caribbean (GtC) began operations in 2014, handpicking select clients to see where it could make the biggest impression. “I look at particular types of clients and waste streams that can have the greatest environmental impact,” says Neale. “We then offer them a competitive alternative to their current waste management system. It’s cost effective, we provide a high level of service and they get brand value by being more environmentally responsible. It requires a higher level of accountability from them, but clients see, feel and appreciate the difference.”

GtC’s services include consultancy, collection and recycling. The company instructs businesses on how to divert their waste into the categories of garbage, trash and waste —determining what should go to landfill and what can be re-directed for processing at GtC’s resource recovery centre in Castries. The distinction is important, according to Neale, who says getting the language right is key. “The general perception of waste in the Caribbean is very archaic. Anything that a business is finished with, they generally consider garbage. There’s no clear understanding of the difference between garbage, trash and waste. Most people perceive it as one thing—garbage—but trash is just something you have finished with and waste is something you dispose of that can be repurposed.

“When we approach a business we have to introduce that concept to them. There is that training component.”

GtC recycles bottles, cans, cardboard and e-waste. Neale defines the latter as “any item that uses electricity and/or contains a circuit board” and says this makes up the bulk of GtC’s recovered materials. All materials are sorted and processed at the company’s site and most is then exported, usually to markets in Asia.

Neale’s priority is getting recyclable materials out of landfill and off the island. He says there is a waste crisis happening in the region and wants to play his part. “There is a lack of strong environmental law in the Caribbean. Governments have not put a waste management infrastructure in place, they only have a waste disposal infrastructure.”

WASTE CRISIS

It may be small geographically, but the Caribbean is one of the biggest contributors to the world’s waste. According to figures from the World Bank, the region generates around 160m tonnes each year—and Saint Lucia is one of the Caribbean’s worst offenders, producing 4.35kg per person, per day.

This waste falls under the purview of the Saint Lucia Solid Waste Management Authority (SLSWMA) which was established in 1996 and operates the country’s two refuse operations, Deglos sanitary landfill and

Vieux Fort’s solid waste management facility. In 2014, these sites processed over 74,000 tonnes worth of garbage.

Most waste authorities in the Caribbean rely on landfills but dumps are increasingly becoming an undesirable and unsustainable solution. On islands where land is a scarce and expensive resource, sprawling dump sites are taking over valuable property. In addition, these sites can pose serious health risks. Poorly-managed landfills can catch fire and leakage of unsanitary materials into the water table is also a risk, as is the spread of disease from landfill pests such as insects and rodents.

Managed properly, landfills can play a part in waste disposal but they are rarely a long-term solution (Saint Lucia’s main landfill at Deglos is set to reach the end of its anticipated lifespan by 2023). Finding ways to divert waste away from dump sites is crucial if governments want to protect both citizens and the environment.

“At the end of the day waste management is a human health issue,” says Neale. “A polluted and dirty environment makes for a sickly citizenry. There also doesn’t seem to be any understanding that improper waste disposal is compromising our resilience to climate change. Waste is the low-hanging fruit; we just need to do it better.”

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Doing it better is a slow journey for GtC which has been steadily growing its business through proactive marketing and word of mouth. It is making inroads into the private sector in Saint Lucia but wants to go regional with solutions that can help the entire Caribbean. Neale will shortly begin consultancy work in The Bahamas and has also set his sights on Antigua. “The intent has always been to be regional. I want to take this show on the road; replicate the model on other islands.”

At the core of GtC is a desire for lasting environmental change but it’s also a profit-driven enterprise. The company generates income through consultancy and transportation fees, as well as selling recyclable materials, and last year received a business development grant from the Caribbean Climate Innovation Center. Neale admits, however, that it is a tough business and says that to be successful, operators need to be driven by more than just money. “This mode of business requires social entrepreneurship. Scrap merchants work off a fast money concept, they buy and sell. An entrepreneurship model challenges the status quo. We work for solutions to society’s problems, we are not solely motivated by profit.”

While there are other operators in the waste sector in Saint Lucia, GtC is the only company of its kind. Other firms are either haulage services for transporting waste to landfill or scrap merchants who trade in metals such as copper, iron and brass. Neale says there is an opportunity for more private sector involvement but cautions that it takes a wealth of on-the-ground experience to truly understand the issues. “Waste management is a multi-billion dollar industry worldwide. There’s no reason for it not to be a viable business. You do not need expensive equipment [to recycle]; you just need to know what you are doing.”

TIME FOR CHANGE

While the private sector is driving change, there are signs that the public sector is catching up. In 2016 SLSWMA received Small Scale Funding Assistance from the United Nations Environment Programme to develop a national strategy for waste management. While this 10-year plan is yet to be released, the final stakeholder consultation took place in October 2017.

Governments across the region are also taking tentative steps in the right direction. The US Virgin Islands, Aruba, and Antigua and Barbuda have all banned plastic bags. Guyana and St Vincent and the Grenadines have banned Styrofoam products and many more nations are looking to follow their example. Neale says he is optimistic about the future but warns that a true shift will take time and must go back to basics.

“The dialogue is there. It is trending in the right direction [but] I see it as a process.

Before you get to things like recycling you need a national strategy. You have to get people to reduce their littering. You are dealing with societal norms. There is a lack of respect for

the waste industry and a lack of awareness [of its importance].”

Shifting mindsets will take time. In the meantime, a handful of Saint Lucia’s corporations are quietly leading the way. GtC’s current clients include Dive Saint Lucia, Rubis St Lucia, JE Bergasse, Rodney Bay Marina and Buckeye Partners LP. Neale says: “Our clients, through their visionary and pragmatic leadership, are demonstrating that the private sector can move beyond compliance with outdated national laws to championing environmental action.”