The Source Separation and Collection Pilot Project for Saint Lucia is part of the wider regional project GEF 5558: Development and Implementation of a Sustainable Management Mechanism for Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in Eight (8) Caribbean Countries. This regional initiative aims to result in the reduction of emissions of Unintentionally produced POPs (UPOPs) in five (5) of the project countries, including Saint Lucia, through the provision of support for the improvement of waste management practices and landfill operations.
The composting programme at the Deglos Sanitary Landfill in Saint Lucia seeks to divert green waste from landfilling to enable improved landfill operations by:
- Reducing the potential for landfill fires and associated UPOPs emissions from the Deglos Landfill by developing a management system to divert green waste away from the landfill
- Improving compaction of the waste mass, and
- Producing beneficial materials (compost and mulch) to be used as landfill cover. Plans include marketing the material locally to improve land resilience, soil fertility and reduce reliance on imports of similar products.
The pilot project will monitor and evaluate the system for approximately four (4) months in order to document the lessons learnt and provide recommendations for future improvement and upscaling.
The project is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). The Saint Lucia Solid Waste Management Authority (SLSWMA) and the Department of Sustainable Development (DSD) are executing, in partnership with the BCRC-Caribbean. The project was designed by consultants of the Resource and Waste Advisory (RWA) Group.