conference magazine - Caribbean Environmental Health Institute

ottles are discarded yearly in Georgetown alone. Secondly, efficient
means of re-using waste plastic, particularly PET and HDPE
must be found since in developing countries it may not be economically
viable to recycle, based on the volumes of plastic produced.
To solve this problem, efficient means of recycling and/or re-using
waste plastic, particularly PET and HDPE must be found. In more
developed societies, recycling technology has been the solution of
choice but in developing countries, like Guyana and other Caricom
Countries, it may not be economically viable based on the relatively
small volumes of plastic produced. Hence we need to determine
innovative ways to re-use plastic since, presently it is not viable to
recycle. It is for this reason the author embarked on using shredded
PET and HDPE as aggregates in construction material. With
the alteration of mix ratios, compressive strengths ranging from
1000 psi to 3781psi were obtained for the blocks having been moist
cured for 7, 14 and 28 days.
These values indicated that the blocks can be used for moderate
strength (1000-1200 psi) and structural light weight concrete (>2500
psi) applications such as floors in high–rise buildings (to reduce
support load requirements), and as thermal and sound insulation in
walls and roof panels (Kosmatka/PCA). With the alteration of mix
ratios and the use of a combination of different plastic types and
sizes according to a prescribed method, higher compressive
strengths can be obtained.
Integration of Energy from Waste (EFW) in the Caribbean by
Magnus Rundqwist and Peter Chromec
The maximum environmental benefits from a new Energy from
Waste (EFW) facility may require locating the new plant close to
both the source of the waste and the potential energy customers.
This paper will present design features that allow them to be located
directly into a Caribbean environment while minimizing their
impact on the community and often improving the quality of life of
the surrounding communities.
Some of the additional benefits gained by locating an EFW facility
on location in the Caribbean are:
• Minimizing the cost and the environmental impact of transporting
the waste over distances by treating the waste where it is
produced. This contributes to a reduction in number of trucks
on the roads, a reduction in emissions from these trucks, a
reduction in green house gas emissions with reduced transport
fuel requirements, a reduction in the potential for odors and
spills with shorter transport distances.
• Providing electrical generation at the point of consumption.
• Possible revenue from disposal fees from cruise ships.
• Producing shore protection /concrete blocks ash handling.
• Reducing the dependence on imported oil for electrical generation
and for heating / cooling.
• Providing secure and well paying jobs for member of the community.
• Reducing the carbon foot print of the community as an EFW
plant is considered a carbon sink and municipal waste is often
classified as renewable energy.
An EFW plant typically leads to higher recycling rate, both pre and
post combustion.
Some of the specific measures that have been considered for a
Caribbean EFW plant environment are architectural enhancements,
more stringent noise and odor control, significant reduction
or even elimination of visible plumes. An applicable case study
included in this paper will be the Tynes Bay Waste Treatment Facility,
Bermuda.
Waste-to-Energy is Coming to the United States Virgin Islands
by May Cornwall
After several attempted procurements over 20 years, the U.S. Virgin
Islands has signed contracts for the development of two refusederived
fuel waste-to-energy projects. This presentation will address
the various challenges faced by island communities, and the
U.S. Virgin Islands in particular, in developing waste-to-energy
projects as its long-term solid waste management solution. It will
explore how two governmental agencies, the Virgin Islands Waste
Management Authority and the Virgin Islands Water and Power
Authority worked hand-in-hand to overcome such challenges and
make the projects a reality.
Many facets of these projects are quite different from the vast majority
of the waste-to-energy plants previously developed in the
United States. These areas include the procurement process, the
chosen developer, the fuel supply arrangement, the financing, the
contract structure and the risk allocation between the parties.
These and other unique features will be described as well as the
reasons for them and how and why the VI government has become
comfortable with and embraced such features.
Finally, the presentation will examine why the development of
these projects to the current stage has succeeded while so many
previous attempts have failed, with the hope that municipalities and
developers interested in developing new waste-to-energy projects
can walk away with valuable lessons learned.
New Geosynthetic Materials Enhance Sustainability – From
Solar and Synthetic-Turf Landfill Caps to Fresh Water Conservation
by Michael Dorsch
This presentation will highlight the use of new geosynthetics and
PV materials in several innovative liquid and waste containment
applications that enhance sustainability. The Tessman Road Landfill
Solar Energy Cover System which utilizes flexible photo-voltaic
(solar) panels on an exposed-membrane landfill cap to generate
electricity on what would normally be unutilized land will be discussed.
The author will also highlight a project in Abu Dhabi for which a
desalinization-derived fresh-water reservoir system was designed
and built to include an evaporation cover to conserve the valuable
resource as well as a synthetic-turf landfill closure system that
reduces installation and maintenance costs, increases available
landfill air-space and improves the quality of storm water discharge.
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FIFTH BIENNIAL CARIBBEAN ENVIRONMENTAL FORUM AND EXHIBITION