‘Stepping Backwards With Recycling Cutbacks’
The Bermuda Environmental Sustainability Taskforce [BEST] said the recently announced cutback in recycling pickups is ‘a step backwards for Bermuda’s environmental accountability.’
They said they are “disappointed to hear that recycling collection is to be halved,” saying that householders will have a harder time recycling, as it will be more difficult to remember which week is collection week on the new fortnightly schedule.
“Bermuda already has a low rate of participation,” said the statement from BEST, which continued on to say that “A cutback in pickup service will undoubtedly result in a further reduction in participation, which will then be used to justify further service cutbacks.”
BEST called for a campaign to increase participation by local households in recycling, presenting ideas and saying they would be “willing to join in.”
Earlier this week Government announced that, beginning August 1, 2011 residential recycling pick up dropped from monthly to twice a month.
On Tuesday a spokesperson said, “The Waste Management Department carries out monitoring of waste pick up including recycling and has found that many households are not recycling and in most cases, the bags containing recyclable materials were arriving and the Material Recovery Facility only half full.”
“In an effort to be more cost effective, residential recycling pick up will now take place every two weeks. The Ministry thanks the public for their understanding as this new schedule is implemented.”
The full statement from BEST is below:
The Bermuda Environmental Sustainability Taskforce (BEST) is disappointed to hear that recycling collection is to be halved, cut back to once every two weeks.
As a result, householders will have an even harder time recycling, if only because it will be more difficult to remember which week is collection week.
Bermuda already has a low rate of participation (less than 18% the last time I asked). Judging from decades of experience on both sides of the Atlantic, a cutback in pickup service will undoubtedly result in a further reduction in participation, which will then be used to justify further service cutbacks.
It’s a vicious circle and a self-fulfilling prophesy. This does not paint a good picture for our visitors — tourists and guest workers alike — of a “green” Bermuda. Many if not most of our visitors, certainly those from north America, come from communities with very high recycling rates, as high as 88% in some US cities and as high as 94% in Canada.
Also, a cutback in pickups is a step backwards for Bermuda’s environmental accountability. Given that we recycle such a small portion of the materials in our waste stream we would be justified in aiming for far higher levels of participation.
It would be better and more in the spirit of the concept of recycling to increase participation through an effective promotional effort. It is a dearth of resources for promoting recycling that has kept local participation in recycling below par. Low participation should not then be used to justify a cutback on service.
Recycling makes sense ethically, economically as well as environmentally.
BEST would be very willing to join in a campaign to increase participation by local households in recycling.
Our preliminary ideas on what can be done to encourage recycling in Bermuda:
- Have government officials, especially MP’s, showing off their recycling savvy (like the TV adverts done for the Post Office)
- Require new commercial or multi-dwelling developments to have recycling facilities incorporated into the plans
- Make recycling mandatory for all permitted establishments, including restaurants and hotels
- Provide householders with the blue boxes as done in virtually all successful recycling zones (buying plastic bags just to throw them away is counter productive)
- Make aggressive use of the new laws regarding littering
- Promote the recycling message in all schools
- Place recycling bins in all parks, empower park rangers to “ticket” litterers
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Category: All, Environment, News
The statement from BEST begs the question if recycling is such a holistically beneficial practice for the environment, why hasn’t the organization sought to promote recycling in Bermuda as a concentrated independent initiative before the announcement of these government reductions in service, particular in those communities that may have particularly low rates of recycling. Efforts such as this might have found the government with a need to increase service provision or indeed find that more commercial entrepreneurs are attracted to the recycling industry. For BEST to truly embrace notions of sustainability, the organization needs to move beyond just being a politically reactionary NGO and move towards an organizational model that is proactive and directly involved in all areas of Bermuda’s diverse community spectrum, particularly at a grassroots level in low income communities which have disproportionate inequities in regards to access to environmental services..
The initiative of recycling should remain with a Government. In this case Bermuda has a Government for the people but apparently recycling is a low priority. It looks as if the recycling matter should be shelved and money saved by stopping recyling by cancelling the contract with Hunts and going back to putting cans and bottles in the trash, or throwing them in someone’s garden or along the road. More for less?
Correction – Talbots not Hunts
How unfortunate that David Chapman resorts again to the tactic of attacking the messenger, thus polluting the content of an otherwise sensible message of his own. I trust his proximity to the halls of government leadership will assist adoption of his points of a) increasing service provision and b) attracting more commercial entrepreneurs to the recycling industry.
Mr. Hayward, surprising that you choose to ‘attack’ back here with the ‘I trust his proximity etc.”, if attacking the messenger is a problem we should stop doing it, because you are right, it distracts from an otherwise valid point – perhaps Mr. Chapman should turn his attention towards the gov’t (and maybe he is). Mr. Chapman?
Thank you Stuart .. you beat me to it ..
‘proximity’ .. haha ..great term .
I guess that Greenrock will be the next group branded as part of the ‘combined opposition.’
We should be the world leaders in this but likely nobody cares?
Just look at the lack of discussion on this thread and there’s your answer.
Not enough people in Bermuda have taken up the call. They don’t see the value or feel a sense of responsibility. I know a lot of bars don’t because “it’s a pain the ass”.
If Talbots has the contract why aren’t they promoting it? They’re the ones trying to make a profit from it, and good for them, but make an effort.
As for Gov’t, we sit back and wait for Gov’t to solve all our problems, like children relying on their parents. Recycling is not a social movement. It’s common sense. I recycle, it’s easy, like really easy. I do it at the same time as I do the trash. That said if Gov’t is going to invest in a new recycling plant they could at least address the commonly held notion that “it all ends up in Tyne’s Bay anyway”. I mean they have responsibility to at least inform the public about where their hard earned tax dollars are being wasted (no pun).
As for BEST, I agree with David, their mission probably includes motivating the public, they could try that instead of constantly castigating the Gov’t (who are pretty useless at most things so why we think they would get this right is beyond me). I walked past our Premier’s super-size me car yesterday – there’s sustainability in action – “look at me and my fancy car, I’m SO important”.
Look, the planet doesn’t need protection from us, it’s about 4 billion years old and frankly doesn’t give a crap if we’re here. We need protection from us, unfortunately we’re the only ones who can do that and thus far in Bermuda we’re not showing a lot of signs of being willing to do so.
Mr. Backeberg, you would be surprised at the number of positive and motivating projects we engage in — check out our website best.org.bm. They just aren’t deemed as newsworthy as our stance on some of the more controversial issues. While we may on occasion have a different view on an issue than the government, we are careful to avoid “castigating”, as you call it. If you follow OUR words closely, you will find that we stick pretty tightly to the issues.
Mr Hayward,
I went to your website and mostly saw campaigns regarding large scale developments in Bermuda. I couldn’t find anything about recycling. Maybe I’m looking in the wrong place. Also I initially input best.org (i didn’t see the .bm) and ended up at the wrong website – that’s something you might want to look into.
In terms of my comments on BEST, you’re right, i cannot, and do not, rely solely on the media to form my opinion. But the perception I’ve expressed is your problem, not mine, in that it inhibits your ability to be effective. Blogs like this allow you to LISTEN to what others are saying about you and figure out how to address how you are perceived (and by whom), that way you may be more effective.
I’ll make the point again, look at the number of posts in this thread compared to others and clearly there is work to do. If part of BEST’s mission is to promote recycling then you’ve got some work to do in terms of gaining support and momentum. Being aware of how you are perceived might help.
Mr. Backeberg
You can view our Mission and Vision Statements on the website (nothing we can do about the url). The “tips” segment (events->Earth Day 2011) contains our promotions of environmentally-friendly conduct, including recycling. I take your point that we could do more to counteract some of how we are perceived. However, as a small organisation dependent almost entirely on volunteers, we have to juggle our resources. Nevertheless, we are working on it — it just takes time.
I agree with the cut back…for now. When was the last time you drove across a driveway and saw a blue bag. Very few of us do. When I went to College in Toronto we HAD to recycle everything and sort out the recyclables in the various bids that the government supplied. I was easy and we had to do it…by law. They have a residential recycling program….we have a joke or a program that friends of the government benefit from financially.
@David Chapman – you sound much more like a politician on-the-attack than a person who claims to be interested in environmental issues.
Mr. Hayward – “Tactics” would imply some envisioned pre-planned outcome, which I did not have. I am simply making an observation and comment like all other public commentators do on this news site and others. I personally feel that BEST and other local environmentally-orientated NGO’s like it contribute an invaluable service to the island’s public dialogue and ‘check and balances’ on local environment and sustainability issues. I applaud these organizations, their members, and indeed all volunteer-based organizations regardless of their individual fields of interest that are attempting to bring about positive change in Bermuda. I also personally support the need to, and benefits of, recycling. It is a practice I participate in myself as well as composting.
However, this does not detract from my personal observations on BEST, specifically in regards to the timing of some of their public campaigns and the direction that these public campaigns take. In this vein, I stand by my comment – “For BEST to truly embrace notions of sustainability, the organization needs to move beyond just being a politically reactionary NGO and move towards an organizational model that is proactive and directly involved in all areas of Bermuda’s diverse community spectrum, particularly at a grassroots level in low income communities which have disproportionate inequities in regards to access to environmental services.”
My proximity to the halls of government leadership are just as close as any other person. I assume you are referring to the fact that my mother Ms. LaVerne Furbert happens to be a government Senator, but as she is a public representative, I know for certain that any member of the public has access to her ear and indeed, that of her colleagues. From what I have seen, Senator Furbert in particular goes out of her way to engage public opinion and dialogue and is well known for doing so.
Indeed, I find it slightly disparaging to the hard working civil servants responsible for waste management, who are not affiliated with any political party, that their input is negated when moves such as these are politicized. I have observed and meet personally many of the expert human resources that are involved in the local municipal waste management field and it is clear that Bermuda’s approach to waste management today is a much improved and far cry from what it was in pervious eras. Bermuda now has a working waste to energy facility, a dedicated recycling plant, a large composting facility, an ever improving inerts-only landfill and an on-going initiative to recycle bulky metal waste more efficiently and frequently and prevent it from entering that landfill. The government departments for public waste management run advertising campaigns on T-A-G recycling services, campaigns at local schools and the blue bags and recycling marked trucks are there for all to see. The government can not go into people’s houses and make them recycle, although I accept that an increase in public awareness campaigns would hope to see improvements in recycling rates. However, surely it would have been on the advice of the local government civil service experts as to why and how changes in waste collection cycles should be modified and these types of initiatives have to consider economic factors alongside environmental ones.
Kim Smith – I am not a politician. I do not work in government, do not hold any civil service position or government post. I am just a public commentator the same as you.
Personaly I think the cut back is a good idea. I recycle and never have enough to fill a bag at weeks end. I end up spending more on bags just to keep on schedule. Every teo weeks is perfect.
IMO we don’t recycle ENOUGH of our refuse in Bermuda. What about plastic (bottles & otherwise), and newspaper? I ‘Vote For’ all of the above as regards the BEST initiatives suggested in this article. I especially like the idea of recycle bins in parks and public areas and empowering rangers to ticket litterers. Shazzam!
Whether we want to admit it or not, generally, Bermudians are wasteful messy people who care very little for the enviroment they live in. Look at thwe poor participation in the recycle program, such that it is. Look at the amount of trash thoughtlessly thrown on the roadside. Look at the grounds of any event after the crowds have gone home. Look at the number of houses on property covered & smothered with concrete. Bermudians are too lazy to put the effort into separating their trash. Plain & simple.
If Bermuda is to get seriious about the enviroment, it is way past time to have a recycling program as found in places like Canada & many US towns.
HI WHAT?
I am thinking that part of the problem may be that since we only recycle cans, aluminum and glass, there isn’t much to recycle anymore. Most larger drink containers are plastic or cardboard rather than glass. We use clear wrap more than aluminum foil because foil can’t be placed in a microwave and with fast food and/or frozen food, we seldom open tin cans. If I didn’t have cats, I would hardly ever have a tin can to recycle.
The only cans consistently used, I guess, are soda cans(and many prefer the 20oz bottles to the 12oz cans).
Maybe we can have some kind of competition for school kids with crushing the cans and lobbing them into a recycling receptacle a la basketball. Maybe we could give a refund of a few cents for every can put in a recycling bin like they used to do in New York (maybe they still do, its been a while since I was there). That would help with at least 2 issues. Kids and poor folk could earn extra cash recycling soda cans and it would help with keeping the island clean. That one is not a new idea, but I am floating it again in the hope that maybe the time has arrived for it to be adopted.
Am I correct in that we don’t recycle plastic and paper because the incinerator needs them to create enough heat to burn other things?
I agree that unless you drink a lot of alcohol, most people don’t have that much to recycle except for soda cans and alcohol. Something I have done in the last few years is look for options. Instead of buying the product in a plastic bottle, i lo to see if a brand comes in glass or tin. If it does, then I buy the glass/tin so i can recycle the container. We should encourage this instead of plastic when available.
I agree, NGO’s can be used to promote an issue when government drops the ball. Recycling is not important to the political powers consequently the promotion, mandatory legislation etc will not come about. Those organizations and people who feel passionate towards it and understand the benefit are burdened to create the movement towards more recycling. It only makes fiscal sense to cut back if something is grossly underutilized. I don’t condone this as a forum for Mr. Hayward and Mr. Chapman to criticize each other, however their opinions (next time please truncate) are representative of others in the community I’m sure.
I think that every two weeks will work quite well at my house. We recycle, and often because the bag is only half full after one week, we will wait until the next week to put it outside. We have two always hungry cats, and that is the main source of our recycling materials. We just rinse the cat food cans in the sink in order to avoid bugs, creatures and smells.
The problem, as other people have pointed out, is that many Bermudians are lazy, just don’t care, or think that recycling is pointless. Some people I know refuse to recycle because they believe “it all ends up in the trash anyway.”
If we want more people to recycle (I DO! – Whenever I visit a friend’s house and I have a bottle or can to toss, I ask, “Where’s the recycling bin?” and if they don’t have one – “Why not?”), we need to emphasize its importance and give the people some proof that their bottles and cans are actually being recycled.
We can all encourage our friends to recycle. And if you are somewhere that doesn’t have a recycling bin nearby, you can just hold on to your bottle or can until you get home or find a public recycle bin.
People really sicken and sadden me when I see them littering on the beach or elsewhere. If we don’t take care of our environment we will no longer be able to enjoy it!!
So tell a friend to tell a friend to recycle, and to pick up after themselves in public areas.