Task force reports progress on waste project

The Division of Solid Waste Management yesterday reported improvements in the way it disposes and receives over 300 tons of waste produced by the whole Saipan community on a daily basis.

During a Public Awareness Day at Puerto Rico Dump, Solid Waste Management task force program manager John Harder remarked on the changes in the operations at the dump site, citing the reduced “working face” at the site, an area where waste is actively open for dumping.

He said that major efforts have been undertaken to cover the trash as often as possible.

“By regularly covering the trash we have minimized the litter blowing into the lagoon and significantly reduced past problems with flies and odors,” Mr. Harder told those who attended his presentation.

Lt. Gov. Jesus R. Sablan, Division of Environmental Quality Director Ike Cabrera, Chamber of Commerce president Lynn Knight, and other CNMI leaders were present at yesterday’s waste management presentation.

The task force also reported on a more aggressive fire prevention and response plan which has halted incidents of fire at the dumpsite since January 1999.

According to Mr. Harder, work has also been started to create a hole which will contain waste to be collected for the remainder of the year.

The division already begun excavating the dredge material deposited on the site from the ports authority project which is projected to grow two to three times larger than its current size, allowing the task force to move off the top of the growing mountain.

Furthermore, the team during the past year has been successful in implementing a variety of Pilot Recycling Programs, experimenting on a broad number of options.

During the last six to eight months, the task force has removed and baled over 25,000 scrap tires that had been dumped.

The dump site is currently using tire bales as retaining walls around the area. In the future tire bales are envisioned to serve as standing walls for the proposed transfer station.

“We have also initiated a program to keep used car batteries out of the dump by providing the public a place at the entry to drop off their old batteries,” Mr. Harder said.

In the next few months, Mr. Harder’s team hopes to complete the clean up and recycle over 3000 batteries.

The division is also in the process of developing and implementing a new solid waste management system for Saipan.

The conceptual facilities plan has been finalized while the design and drawings for the landfill and transfer station is already 70 percent complete.

“We hope to go out to bid for construction in August or September and if the bidding process moves along well, we start construction by the end of the year,” he said.

Mr. Harder’s report also included a presentation on the soon to be implemented tipping fees which will be charged to haulers for the disposal of waste at the dump.

The amount collected will provide the division a stable source of funds necessary to continue to improve operations at the Puerto Rico dump.

In addition, it will serve as a tool to increase public awareness of the real costs of waste management and at the same time provide the necessary economic incentives for businesses to initiate recycling efforts.

During the final year of the operation at the dump, the fees will be set at approximately $10 per ton and assessed on a volume basis.
For loads greater than one cubic yard, the fees will range from $2.00 for a large pick up truck to $40.00 for large compactor trucks and roll-off containers. Small, self-hauled loads that are less than one cubic yard will be allowed one free visit per week.