LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND ANDI IS WORKING ON A PLAN OF ACTION TO ERADICATE OPEN AIR GARBAGE DUMPS

·It is important that the community understands the danger it presents to the environment of the island by making a bad disposition of scrap and special elements.

·The waste produced must be treated in an appropriate manner, so it does not contaminate air, water and the environment.

In order to identify the critical points where the community has illegally disposed of white line waste, the Secretariat of Public Services and Environment, together with the Environmental Corporation Coralina and the National Association of Businessmen of Colombia (ANDI), made a visit to establish possible solutions to the problem.

According to secretary, Johan Mancilla Fayllace, it is important for the community to understand the danger it represent to the environment of the island due to the bad disposition of scrap and special elements.

"With the Secretariat of Mobility, Coralina and businessmen of the ANDI, we made visit to all the different points of the island, where we found scraps stored illegally on the streets. We found abandoned vehicles on private properties and in other sectors such as the area known as 'La curva de la virgencita', where we found an open-air dump. In addition, we visited the premises where motorcycles are stored and other types of vehicles, mechanical shops, among others that are around the island,"said the Secretary.

This tour allowed the Secretary to quantify the amount of waste, in terms of tonnage and volume, currently on the island. Similarly, Mancilla Fayllace added that this amount of waste produced should be treated in an appropriate manner, so as not to contaminate the air, water and the surrounding environment, as it can cause health damage among other things.

"We finished the tour with a visit to Green Point, the only collection center available for this activity,"said the Secretary.

The composition of these dumps is voluminous, less biodegradable and with high rates of toxic materials, which is related to diseases, pests, insects, rodents and bad odors. Therefore, this plan to eradicate open-air garbage dumps will help mitigate the negative environmental effects that affect the well-being of current and future generations.

"The final result of this visit will be to assemble logistics between all entities to achieve the extraction of all this material that is on the island through the support of the National Navy, private personnel, among other companies. What we want is that the provision is made properly and without affecting the environment,"he concluded.