Organic Waste
What can organic waste tell us about our city?
First let us begin with the sources and forms of organic waste as discovered in the city of Port-Of-Spain. The organic waste sighted, took the form of tree and aesthetic vegetation trimmings and market products and by-products. These items were found on sidewalks, drains, and neatly stacked at the sides of buildings as shown in the pictures above.
Activities:
Now relating this waste to the city, the presences of these forms of waste tells us about the activities within the city.
- One such activity is the presences of a street vending as seen in the image below. This economic activity speaks to the lower class. This part of the town can be considered undeveloped and disorganised. It is located on the outskirts of the Central Business District. These fringes, while not completely neglected, show a stark contrast to that of the high-rise, glass buildings at the waterfront.
Sourced: http://10yearsofrapid.blogspot.com/2014_04_01_archive.html
- Tree trimmings show the possible result of the garden sector in city which maintains the vegetation of the city and can be view as one of the guardians in keeping the city habitable. Regardless of this the trimmings are left on the side walks for days, adding to the organic pollution of Trinidad's capital. They may be left there intentionally to be collected by the relevant service but while a waiting remove they are degrading the street and can become a hindrance to predestines.
The Positives and Negatives
Positives:
Jane Jacobs in her thesis studies, believed that streets with wide pavements ,short corners and a little urban decay, made for a more loose atmosphere and enjoyable environment, thus promoting economic and social activities. and creating an atmosphere conducive to a more prosperous community. Daily interactions will become easier and the quality of life will be improved for many. The street market can be added to this if managed correctly as it provides a sense of community and allows for interactions along the city. Also a positive of the market is that it provides cheaper prices appealing to those who look for good deals or those who are financially insecure such as the lower class residents within and around the city.
The problem arises where there is a lack of management of the vegetable and fruit stalls throughout the streets of East Port-of-Spain. Jane Jacobs, as mentioned above believed that this environment would become a social hub, promoting economic and social activities. However, upon interviewing several citizens, they admitted that while the vegetables and fruits are cheaper on Fredrick and Charlotte Street, the atmosphere is unpleasant and they preferred to pay a little extra and shop in the convenience of a market centre or grocery store. Many also worried about petty crimes such as theft. This shows that the presence of organic pollution coupled with the general disorganisation of the streets of Port-of-Spain reduces customer traffic and therefore decreases economic activity, thus continuing the cycle of poverty for the market vendors.
Biodegradable waste is not an excuse to pollute as such encourages the presence of rodents and other animals and insects, creating for an unpleasant and unsanitary environment especially where food and food products are concerned. We observed that the presence of these waste products encourage other pedestrians to litter, adding to the unsanitary conditions on the streets. Even though there were bins present on the sidewalks, vendors chose to dispose of their waste on the sidewalks and in drains. This aspect of the urban space now raises questions on what are the urban dwellers and residents' attitudes towards the matter? What are the thoughts of city planners? What can they do to minimise the organic pollution, inefficient use of organic matter as well as reduce the disparities in development of east Port-of-Spain as compared to the Central Business District (CBD) to improve the quality of an urban space?
- The articles below help to answer some of these questions:
Even though there are a few bins present along the streets, they are too small to place boxes and Styrofoam trays from the market goods. This poses as a dilemma to many vendors who have no other choice but to neatly pile their waste in corners. However, there is no excuse for vendors who leave wrappers and food remains on the streets. We recommend that every street should have a large dumpster that is easily accessible to all vendors so that they may dispose of their waste properly.
The article ,'Government Response to
Informal Sector Retail Trading: the Peoples’ Mall, Port of Spain, Trinidad' by Llyod-Evans and Potter gives a brief history on the emergence of vegetable street vendors and their impact on the environment. Evans and Potter speaks about the unaesthetic view of the streets of Port-of-Spain, explaining that the vendors "are not subject to Government tax and legislative control." This freedom allows them to do as they please, creating a level of disorder and disorganisation on the streets.
http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/40572338?uid=2484444183&uid=60&uid=2484444193&uid=3739200&uid=3&uid=70&uid=2134&uid=2&purchase-type=both&accessType=none&sid=21105796140893&showMyJstorPss=false&seq=1&showAccess=falseThe Solution
According to the Resource Centres on Urban Agriculture and Food Security or RUAF Foundation, there are environmentally friendly ways to dispose of organic waste from urban areas. It can be found in their Guidelines For Municipal Policy-making On Urban Agriculture publication in the link below. These methods should be implemented in the city of Port-of-Spain as it will reduce the level of organic pollution and create an organised system by which the east side of the city can slowly develop.
http://www.ruaf.org/sites/default/files/Guideline%205%20Recycling%20organic%20wastes%20in%20Urban%20Agriculture.pdf
On visiting Port-of- Spain last week, I wasn't greeted by beauty, but by a stench. Which reminded me of factory run-off. So is their any legislature that the government enforce or have this been accepted as part of the urban culture of POS?
ReplyDeleteOsei, as of now, there are no factories present on the streets of Port-of-Spain. Most buildings are historical and commercial. There are also many government buildings present. The stench was not caused by factory run-off but in fact several other factors such as air pollution from vehicles, solid waste from pedestrians and business owners as well as run-off from small businesses. There is no legislature that states that water pollution in Port-of-Spain is unacceptable and it is to our belief that if there was, the government would not enforce it. The east side of Port-of-Spain, as mentioned in our article is generally less developed and is more unkempt than the CBD. There are however, general laws on water pollution for Trinidad and Tobago which can be found here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/18541816/Water-Pollution-in-the-Republic-of-Trinidad-and-Tobago#scribd.
DeleteCan you tell us what the answers are to the questions you ask from the articles, please. It looks like very organized garbage collection, mostly - so why do you think it's pollution? There may be some design and infrastructural problems, but what are these?
ReplyDeleteThere were bins present on the streets, however, many were not large enough to fit the boxes and Styrofoam trays from the market goods. Recommendations were made in the blog
DeleteHave you ever noticed that the Brian Lara Promenade has more garbage bins than necessary, but on Charlotte and Frederick Street garbage bins are scarce?
ReplyDeleteYes. That issue will be discussed in another post.
DeleteI like the recommendation for a "large dumpster" on every street for vendors and others. Ummm... not outside my place of business! Can we put that dumpster outside of your store?
ReplyDeleteGreat post!