Organic Waste Disposal in Port-of-Spain

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. 

Negatives:

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=false


The 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

Waste from the Homeless?

Why is it so common to see street dwellers in urban areas? How come East Port-of-Spain has many while the CBD is clear of any signs of homelessness? How do homeless people contribute to urban waste? 

Again, this can all be related to disparities in development. According to Portugali (1996), a city environment is influenced by its economic activity and vice versa. This accounts for the presence of homeless people on the east side of Port-of-Spain since it is the periphery of the CBD. Homeless people often feel more comfortable in highly populated areas with a more relaxed and casual environment. "They also prefer to be there because its close to the bars and casino," was the reason of a citizen we interviewed. 

But how is waste is involved?

Well, waste tends to be a product of some type of activity. In this case the waste is a result of the undocumented employment that street dwellers are given. From observations it is common to see street dwellers travelling through the streets with old grocery carts and trolleys, transporting goods for street and market vendors. It was interesting to note that most street dwellers who resided on Tambrand Square and parts of Independence Square near the cathedral, were familiar with the environment. Before becoming homeless, the often went there to relax and hang out with friends. The environment was familiar and comfortable to them, hence the main reason why they located there.

After the job is done the products delivered, what becomes of their trolleys and carts? This is where the street dweller's waste start to play a role in the city. As you move further east along Independence Square, the landscape changes. The clean and quiet environment near the waterfront now becomes loud and dirty with the presence of pigeons and WASTE. The picture below is a clear depiction of the waste produced by homeless people. 

What the image says about POS:
The image gives a sense of social attitudes, management and the street dwellers' perspectives. This occurrence has become a norm in the city. It has developed to the point of social acceptance, whereby the ever day commuter may not give a second thought to the impact which it has on the city aesthetically. The image also questions the management of the city. Are any laws and government services in place to prevent this and are they implemented? Most importantly it gives an insight into the lives of street dwellers and the struggles they are faced with as the social services provided for them, such as the Riverside Carpark (Centre for Socially Displaced People) may not be adequate.

We've explored the negatives but are there any positive outcomes of the presence of street dwellers in east Port-of-Spain?

Indeed there is, as an independent sanitation engineer. Street dwellers play a key role in the removal of glass bottles from the streets. In Trinidad and Tobago, an empty glass bottle is equal to twenty-five cents. Due to presence of bars and the 'liming' atmosphere of the east side of the city, empty bottles  tend to be abundantly discarded. Homeless people deliver them to bars to obtain income which helps to buy their food and other necessities and wants. This practice is popular among street dwellers both locally, regional and internationally. The image below is sourced from http://www.greenprophet.com/2010/01/organization-homeless-environment/ shows this.

More waste?

Sadly, relationship between street dwellers and urban decay does not end there. The streets are their homes, kitchens, bedroom, bathrooms and dinning rooms and as any other human they have needs. Upon visiting Tambrand Square, some of the homeless people who reside there admit to defecating in the bushes. The smell of urine and ammonia fills the air in this park. Fecal matter is another source of waste in a city. There is also accumulation of solid waste products such as of food boxes, cardboard beds, dead rodents, and fecal matter which all fall under the category of "waste products" in this area. 

A picture of Tambrand Square and the waste accumulation by "Peter" who said that all the materials as seen in the picture belongs to him and he needs them to live which is why he refuses to throw them away.

The Disparities in Waste

Bins galore or Bins no more


What are the parameters for justification of a place being deemed "better" than another? How does waste show us this? 

By examining the amount of waste on the streets and the disposal enmities available in the areas, it becomes evident that there are disparities within the city. The major contrasting areas are the most western end of the Brain Lara promenade near the banks and Twin towers and street blocks north of the promenade nearing the Queens Park Savannah.  

Loretta Lees in The Geography of Gentrification: Thinking Through Comparative Urbanism, highlights the issue of placement and amount of garbage bins present in Seoul, Korea. "One finds a lot more garbage bins in the more popular areas where the celebrities shop. Streets are pristine and flawless but take a walk, a few blocks down, you see the extent of urban decay. Where are the bins?" She relates this to the migration settlement patterns of the lower class who occupy the outskirts of the Central hub of Seoul. Similarly, east Port-of-Spain, while not filled with migrants, replicates the same patterns as described by Lees. The Brian Lara Promenade shows an abundance of bins and a clean area. It is closer to the CBD which accounts for its aesthetic display while upper Port-of-Spain shows the presence of no garbage bins along the road and piles of garbage left on the streets. This brings us back to our post on Organic Waste, where there are very little bins placed along these roads and the ones present are too small to fit large items.

 http://phg.sagepub.com/content/36/2/155.abstract

The Brain Lara Promenade

Clean area and aesthetically pleasing. The further away you are from the eastern side of the city, the cleaner it is and the more bins are present.

Upper Port of Spain

The lack of proper garbage disposal facilities leads to the dumping of waste on sidewalks

Brain Lara Promenade

Along Independence Square, near the business hub of the city, the roads are extremely clean yet there are no garbage bins in sight. What accounts for this? After speaking to a few taxi men, we understood that regulated garbage trucks pick up waste twice a day. This shows that more attention is given to the areas of higher economic importance and political and economic power whereas the local commercial sector is neglected. 

The Big vs The Small

The BIG and the small?

This post will look at the differences in the manner waste is handled by large businesses and small businesses and their ability to dispose of their waste. What is the government doing to help small businesses and market vendors? The link between disparities in development and waste disposal is once again examined, showing that these two issues share a symbiotic relationship and affect each other .  

The BIG

This image was taken in the car park of a large supermarket on Henry Street, Port-of-Spain. Since the business owners own the land and it is large enough, they are able to provide their own waste disposal bins. 


The SMALL

In contrast the to picture above, smaller establishments that are located in strip malls or small buildings, are given no bins. This is an amenity that the government should provide for all businesses, be it one large dumpster in a designated area or several smaller ones placed in designated areas along every street. 

While the government seeks to create a first world nation, developing one side of the city creates a disparity within the city. The backwash effect comes into play. What is that? Well, while development of the CBD continues, the decay of the eastern side of the city also continues and increase. Less and less attention is given to this side of the town and the disorganisation as well as lack of enforcement of legislations lead to such outcomes as the ones in the above pictures. Some may argue that this is what makes the city, 'town'. However, an unkempt and generally disorganised periphery can make for an unhealthy environment and encourage crimes. Vendors and businessmen should be involved in the decision-making process in the development of the streets.

How is this disorganisation different from Post-Modern Urbanisim?

Post-Modern Urbanisation, as explained by Dear and Flusty (1998), deals with disorganisation of a city however, it applies to what the 'ideal' city would look like with its blocky buildings as opposed to cities today that have abstract patterns and designs very much like our own the National Academy for Performing Arts (NAPA) in Port-of-Spain. The type of disorganisation seen above deals with the lack of legislation and law enforcement, leading to aesthetically displeasing activities and a general chaos that highlights disparities in development of the city even more.

Article on Postmodern Urbanism: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1467-8306.00084#preview

History Prevents Waste?

Parks

Parks for centuries have been at the forefront of the battle with waste in urban spaces. Parks serve as the lungs of a city. They are the only remaining true public space in a constantly privatising world as stated in Banerjee (2001).

Ironically, these parks are located near historical buildings. Woodford Square, for example  is surrounded by the first library ever built in Trinidad and Tobago as well as the Red House. These historic buildings are a sight to behold and it only serves them right to have an equally pleasing environment. Woodford Square is always kept clean as well as other parks since they have historical value and add a charm to the city of Port-of-Spain. 

 The Red House near Woodford Square:
http://www.davidsanger.com/stockimages/8-14-32.parliament

The library near Woodford Square:

http://www.tripadvisor.in/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g147388-i20744759-Trinidad_Trinidad_and_Tobago.html

Many bins are placed throughout the park and there are always sanitation workers cleaning and raking leaves. Security officers are also on patrol to ensure that the fountain and stand pipes are not defiled. This shows the importance of the area and that historical value increases the need for keeping a place aesthetically pleasing. 

Bins placed in the park as well as washroom facilities to ensure the area is well-kept at all times.

We know that history is not the only reason for the upkeeping of the parks. As mentioned earlier, being the only left public areas that offer peace and quiet from the hustle and bustle of the city, they must be maintained to continue to radiate this presence however, we cannot deny that historical influence can greatly impact the environment in a city.

The Fight Against Waste- City Management

City Management

It is evident that waste disposal in Port-of-Spain needs to be better managed. The means in which they are managed radiates the type of city and gives the presence of whether the area is the periphery or if it is just as developed as the CBD.  

The city has done much to put measures in place to encourage proper waste disposal however, looking at the type of waste in comparison to the size of the bins, it is clear that planning was not properly carried out. The government should include the opinions of the businessmen who produce the waste to provide better waste disposal facilities. Garbage bags are often too large to fit in trash cans and it is evident that they cater for the consumer and not the business people. The results of their lack of waste disposal facilities results in trash bags being piled up on sidewalks or left on the streets until the garbage truck passes by to collect it.

The Fight Against Waste- Government Stance on the Environment

Recycling

To further one's development is a key goal of any country and development can be measured in many different ways. Recently, energy efficiency and sustainability has become a key measure in assessing a nation's level of development. This along with the growing environmental awareness of society has placed pressure on governments to provide services to  mitigate pollution and encourage environmental friendly practices. 

Trinidad and Tobago has thus taken a step towards development with the introduction of recycling trash bins throughout Port-of-Spain and can be seen in the photo below. 

This recycling bin was located on the Brain Lara Promenade.

1) It shows that there is a movement against environmental decay of the city and nation on whole. Using nature appeals to the humanity of people and encourages them to recycle. It shows the the administration of the city recognises the importance of making the urban space liveable and comfortable for the urban dwellers. 

2) Despite this we are forced to question the efforts of this movement as the bins are degraded and partially destroyed leaving them unusable. Also, it is impossible to tell what material is supposed to go in the bins, be it plastic, glass or paper. This was found to be common on all the recycling bins in the area. We are then forced once more to look at administrative control as the source for pollution since they do nothing to maintain the recycling bins, allowing citizens of city to dispose of their trash in the next suitable place, the drains and roads.