Urban 'Trashing' of the Environment

Filled garbage disposal bins in the heart of Princes Towns urban center.

            Disposal bins filled to the brim, a sight seen daily as you walk along Princes Town Proper. We as citizens see this as a norm and really do not take time to appreciate the severity of this occurrence. So think now, where does all this waste go? Doesn't it add up? What exactly are we doing to the environment when we dispose so much?

            Princes Town Proper is an urban commercial hotspot in south Trinidad. Day to day its streets are packed with people on their way to work, shopping and commuting. The effect is significant amounts of municipal solid waste being generated, as recognized in the depiction. This waste is borne out of our consumption patterns in the town center, and has became a serious problem to our natural environment as this trend is evident in all of Trinidad's urban hubs.

            Currently Trinidad handles the volumes of waste produced in its urban centers is by dumping into landfill sites. The Beetham Landfill is the country's largest site accommodating 65 percent of the waste produced. However, this landfill will reach its capacity in a few years, since an average of 1000 tonnes of waste being generated per day which is faster than the rate of decomposition (Swmcol.co.tt 2014). By that time a new site will be needed and this means another part of the natural environment would need to be cleared in order to store urban waste.

For more information on waste management in Trinidad visit: 

http://www.swmcol.co.tt/education/112-waste-mgmt-topics.html

            Incidentally these landfills although meant to minimize the impact of waste into a confined zone, still has environmental impacts which are widespread. While solid waste is being broken down in these sites it goes through several biophysical processes to produce both leachate and emissions. Leachate is liquid in nature and thus infiltrates the soil. If improper drainage control is applied this can contaminate ground water which eventually drains and pollutes our river systems. Emissions in the form of methane and carbon dioxide is also produced, of which both are greenhouse gases that lead to global warming (Aljaradin and Persson 2012). In addition methane is flammable and can cause fires if the landfill is not properly managed. This was witness in the Beetham Landfill where a breakout of fires lead to excessive airborne particulate matter affecting the surrounding environs of the landfill (Boodram 2014).

For more information on the effects of landfills on the environment see: http://benthamscience.com/open/towmj/articles/V005/28TOWMJ.pdf

To read more on the Beetham Landfill fire see:         

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Landfill-closed-242676951.html

            Aside from managed municipal solid waste there is also those that are mismanaged which, also affect the environment. As seen in the picture not all of the solid waste is in the disposal bins. Improper disposal like this can lead to adverse effects such as flooding, habitat degradation and promotion of disease ridden organisms, such as rats, in our cities.

            On a whole Trinidad's urban centers like those around the world produce alarming amounts of municipal solid waste daily. This waste whether managed in landfills or improperly disposed of, is causing harm to our environment.

References

            Aljaradin, Mohammad and Kenneth M Persson. 2012. "Environmental Impact of Municipal Solid Waste Landfills in Semi-Arid Climates-Case Study--Jordan." The Open Waste Management Journal 5, no. 1: 28-39.

            Boodram, Kim. 2014."Landfill closed Fire burning since last Sunday...." Trinidad Express, January 30. Accessed 22 February 2014. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Landfill-closed-242676951.html.

            Swmcol.co.tt. 2014."The Trinidad and Tobago Solid Waste Management Company (SWMCOL) - Waste Management Topics." http://www.swmcol.co.tt/education/112-waste-mgmt-topics.html (accessed 22 Feb 2014).