And in Belmopan, residents have expressed concern after seeing smoke near the waste transfer station. It's a major health hazard, but one that the minister says they're already aware of. However, he explained that since waste management recently became his ministry's responsibility, the problem lies in finding the funding to fix the problems.
Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development
"As you know the solid waste management was not under our ministry until the beginning of January. Minister Hyde who had the solid waste portfolio was doing the best with the circumstances, of course, financing and funding is a major problem, they have been looking and what we inherited from him was the start up work to look at the sustainability of making these transfer stations work and getting the garbage to the transfer station and from the transfer station to the national landfill. What we are trying to do now is to try to see how we can put up a wall or maybe plant some trees to not have it in plain visibility and to try to see if we can stop the burning as much as possible. What happens sometimes it is not people who light the fire because of the humidity and the type of garbage then there is spontaneous combustion and it lights up but if I'm not mistaken, within a month or so, we will be getting the funding, right after the budget is passed so that the two transfer stations will be operationalized, which will be the Belmopan Transfer Station and the Dangriga Transfer Station."
We'll keep following the story.
