Dear Editor,
The year 2024 has brought the inconsistencies, ineffectiveness, and inefficiencies of the Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority to the mainstream media while becoming one of the most impacting issues since the General Election. The Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority’s main responsibility is to manage the solid waste in the territory. However, the task given to the Authority is becoming more difficult to accomplish and achieve even with its current budget.
Just in the last year alone, the Authority’s landfills primarily on St. Thomas was prone to ongoing fires, which impacted schools, contributing to the learning loss and pollution in the area. While in both districts primarily St. Croix, the sewage has become not only a pressing issue but one of the public’s health concerns. These are just issues that have occurred in the past couple of months. However, a new issue is being brought to the spotlight, the lack of payment to vendors of the government. To understand the dire situation being faced on hand, I’ll explain the relationship of a vendor and the government. A vendor is someone contracted with the Virgin Islands government to carry out a service for the government like trash hauling and disposal.
As I explained what a relationship would be like, this exact agreement is now in limbo between the Waste Management Authority and Bates Trucking on St. Croix. Bates has stated that after December 31, 2024, they will no longer provide said service for the government due to unpaid debt. Now, the frustrating part in this whole situation, in my opinion, is that the Authority has leaders who I believe have to begin making some tough financial decisions to ensure the Authority carries out the mandate required. The Waste Management Authority is not a part of the central government. However, in recent times, it has been very reliant on the government and straining a huge part of the budget.
To understand why the authority is not a part of the central government, you have to go back to the creation of the instrumentality. The Waste Management Authority is a semi autonomous instrumentality, which means it’s designed to generate its own revenue to manage its ongoing costs and to fulfill the requirements of its existence. This also means that the Authority is managed by a group of individuals who are appointed by the governor called the Board of Directors, who then hires and appoints the Chief Executive Officer “CEO.”
Moving forward as one who has some experience understanding policy, I see a plan that must be considered to resolve this situation before it becomes a chain on the neck of Virgin Islanders like the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority. I see a plan consisting of the following: First paying the obligated funds to all vendors immediately, along with renegotiating and signing of a new contract with the previous vendors for trash hauling on St Croix.
The second part should be making sure funds are obligated from the budget for the high repair and maintenance of the already struggling sewage systems in the territory while we wait for the federal funds to begin the designing of the new systems.
The third part should involve evaluating the existence of the Authority, meaning should it remain semi-autonomous or should it rejoin the central government. The last part includes the Public Services Commission and the Legislature using their oversight responsibility to ensure the authority is carrying out its mandate to the people of the Virgin Islands.
Overall, the Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority affects the day to day life of Virgin Islanders, and they must be held accountable. However, it must include all parties to ensure that the people are not disregarded and considered in the steps moving forward.
— Anthony Mardenborough Jr. is a secondary education teacher, nonprofit executive director, and aspirant for the Virgin Islands Board of Elections.
Editor’s Note: Opinion articles do not represent the views of the Virgin Islands Source newsroom and are the sole expressed opinion of the writer. Submissions can be made to visource@gmail.com.
