Solid waste management in Montserrat, West Indies

This is a study of solid waste management on the island of Montserrat, West Indies, during the period of May 1994 through June 1995. All humans produce solid waste and all individuals and societies develop or adopt means to manage their wastes, means which exhibit great spatial and societal variation. Because Montserrat is a small place (39 square miles; approximately 10,000 residents), its solid waste challenges and management techniques are different from those of the large places usually studied in the solid waste literature.

Methodology consisted of on-site observations throughout the island, formal and informal interviews with people of all classes and from all parts of Montserrat, and design and completion of a survey of food waste behavior.

The conclusions drawn from this study include safety, cost effectiveness, and appropriateness of different waste management methods and technologies. Appropriateness was assessed in terms of cultural acceptance and economic efficiency.

The study's conclusions varied according to the type of solid waste being considered. Most food waste is collected by individuals to be fed to livestock and other animals, or to be used as a soil amendment, a low or no cost management method which provides great benefit, and thus is an appropriate technique for disposing of food waste. Non-food waste (excluding automobiles and large appliances) is collected by private firms and deposited in a landfill. This method of waste collection costs less than the former method of government-provided waste collection, and evidence of its efficiency is found in decreased amounts of informal dumping during the study period. Derelict automobiles and large appliances, however, still blight the landscape in many places, suggesting that a more appropriate management method should be considered.

Montserrat's solid waste management demonstrates the unique circumstances found in this small place, and may prove to be a useful case study to employ in making comparisons with solid waste management methods and technologies in other places.