EDITORIAL: Too much domestic waste

IT is said that Barbadians generate an average of 1,000 tonnes of waste per day, of which domestic waste accounts for between 30 and 40 per cent and much of this 300 to 400 tonnes of domestic waste can be recycled.

However, Barbadians may be in the habit of simply tossing what they believe to be trash, without giving full consideration to how they could engage in a waste sorting process.

The truth is, that Barbadians are generating too much waste and seemingly not recognising the role they could play in significantly reducing the level of garbage pileups across the island. On the whole, we as a people can do more to reduce, reuse and recycle waste in this country.

3Rs still relevant

Thus, it needs to be said that the 3Rs are still relevant today as they were in days gone by, when the concept was as new and fresh as ever. In fact, we can argue that the concept of the 3Rs is now more relevant to us as a nation, than ever before.

The first R – Reduce, can be said to be the most effective of the three R’s and the place to begin. It may however be the hardest concept for Barbadians to wrap their heads around. Too many Barbadians have seemingly bought into the world view of “bigger and better” and they willingly accept the view that “new trumps old” on any given day. And so we are constantly buying things and acquiring a host of consumer products covered in packaging that is in no way environmentally friendly. Gone from our vocabulary are words such as “maintain” and “repair”, and instead “replace” and “acquire” are words that sit well with most of us.

The second R – Reuse, suggests that we can shop wisely and purchase lasting products, or products that we can find a way to keep in shape. Before a decision is made to discard anything, we should also decide whether it has some life left in it. Consider that reusing keeps new resources from being used for a while longer and old resources from entering the waste stream.

The third R – Recycle, speaks to the process of collecting and processing materials that would otherwise be thrown away as trash and turning them into new products. This concept has caught on the best. However, greater effort can be made to actively engage in the process of recycling.

Produce less garbage

The call has gone out time and time again for Barbadians to generate less garbage per week for the Sanitation Service Authority (SSA) to pick up and if householders take heart and sort their garbage properly, they may be able to find some items they can recycle or even reuse.

If we would only revisit the 3Rs at the level of our homes, schools, businesses and communities, we may find that there is less garbage to throw away and a lot more to reduce, reuse and recycle. Our landfill, our government and our local recycling centres would certainly be grateful for the effort, and our environment in general, would benefit as well. So let’s do what we can to reduce our domestic waste.