CCAD Session Centers Around Solid Waste Management
Day two of the Second Central American Commission for Environment and Development Regional Environmental Congress for SICA concluded today at the Princess Ramada Hotel in Belize City. During simultaneous sessions, everything from waste water, solid waste management and the technical support needed to kick-start the second and third phases of regional projects in Central America and the Dominican Republic were discussed. As we’ve reported, the theme for the congress is “Interregional Unity: Enhancing Human Security and Environmental Resilience.” Minister of Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management Orlando Habet says that solid waste management is particularly of concern to Belize and a proposal has been taken before cabinet.
Orlando Habet
Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development, Climate Change & Disaster Risk Management
“Looking at solid waste management on one side, the control of plastics and how we deal with it – not only at the national level, but at the regional level – but looking at the broader area of solid waste management which is a concern not only for Belize but many in the region and how that type of effect on the environment can really be detrimental to our countries our cities our towns and villages. Also looking at the experiences of other countries, what they have done and possibly learning from those experiences and that knowledge to see what we can do in Belize because our solid Waste Management Authority in Belize has problems in that we all realise that we haven’t been able to move the solid waste from the transfer stations to the national dump site; we are doing it a bit at a time. Next month we are starting with Belmopan and the Dangriga site and then we still have Independence, PG, Orange Walk and Corozal. But it has to have the funding to be able to do that. So my ministry is also proposing to cabinet shortly, taking out a proposal on the sustainability of that kind of management which will include the garbage collection, the taking to if not that transfer station, other stations where we might have to do temporary fixes to hold it there and then to the national landfill site. And also better management of the national landfill site so we don’t have pollution of the air, we don’t have methane production or at least how to ameliorate the production of methane, how we can decrease or stop completely the leachate from going through the MIRMs into our groundwater, into the river.”
