You are here:
WASTE TIRES ON THE ISLAND OF DOMINICA: SURVEY AND SOLUTIONS
Impact/Purpose:
eam that could potentially be harmful to humans and toxic to marine and land mammals. In addition, the project and lessons learned has the potential to be exported to the other small island developing states (SIDS) nations in the Caribbean. Measurements of success will be made by making fair estimates of the number of tires diverted from island landfills and of the number of people affected and educated by the tire initiative.
eam that could potentially be harmful to humans and toxic to marine and land mammals. In addition, the project and lessons learned has the potential to be exported to the other small island developing states (SIDS) nations in the Caribbean. Measurements of success will be made by making fair estimates of the number of tires diverted from island landfills and of the number of people affected and educated by the tire initiative.Challenge Area: EPA-G2007-P3-Z2 – Materials and Chemicals
The island of Dominica is a small nation of 72,000 people and an annual rainfall of over 400 inches. Limited landfill space and no mechanism for off-island waste disposal have caused discarded tires and other waste materials to stockpile, often in undesirable locations. Large quantities of scrap automobile tires have become a potential breeding habitat for vectors and mosquitoes, a fire hazard, and a debilitating eyesore for a nation that is striving to develop its tourism industry. The goal of the project is to create new uses for waste materials, turning waste tires into beneficial opportunities for Dominica and other small islands. This project will begin by quantifying the scope and size of the waste tire dilemma by conducting a materials audit using standard interview and survey techniques. A previous biomedical waste audit on the island will serve as a model. Maps showing tire sources and current disposal locations will be created using GIS. The team will then describe and evaluate up to four alternatives for tire recycle and/or disposal using value engineering techniques, with one or two alternatives being selected for further consideration and presented to appropriate stakeholders. A Community Build and Demonstration Project – entitled “Tires for Tots” - will be planned to use local community volunteers to build and establish a playground that utilizes waste tires for civil engineering applications, such as fencing and barriers, play equipment, and soft-landing pads. On an island with insufficient recreation infrastructure, the playground project and its attendant curriculum will benefit the people and their prosperity by developing a market for waste tires, create potential employment opportunities, and provide a recreational benefit that brings a sense of pride and enjoyment. The project will benefit the planet by eliminating a waste str
Description:
Phase I of LFL-Dominica was highly successful, resulting in a completed national tire inventory and Material Flow Analysis, a waste tire feasibility study, expansion of the project to include organic gardens, identification and screening of three sites for potential LFL implementation, selection of a pilot LFL site in Grand Fond, and initiation of the design process, including a land survey and design drawings.
Calculations indicate there are approximately 560,000 tires on the island. With a collected stock pile of 80,000 waste tires, approximately 480,000 waste tires still remain scattered throughout the nation. Many of these are used as planters lining roadsides, although some have been used for applications such as retaining walls. Most do not serve particularly useful purposes, and waste tires may be a resource that can be used more effectively, as determined by the feasibility study. An additional 57,000 tires are imported into the country every year. The trend of vehicle growth shows that the number of vehicles is going to increase at a much faster rate in the future, resulting in even larger numbers of tires. Options to reuse these tires in landscape and recreational applications will be explored through this project and ultimately integrated into the design.
The village of Grand Fond and its elementary school have been selected as the pilot site for the Landscapes for Learning program in Dominica. A booklet of 60 landscape sketches has been compiled by the elementary students and community members, which will be translated into an actual design for implementation by students in Landscape Architecture.
This Landscape for Learning (LFL) project is highly compatible with the mission of the P3 program. It incorporates environmental, social, and economic considerations within its scope and has a focus of continuing education. It is highly interdisciplinary, with each of the disciplines working together in a beneficial and constructive manner. There is tremendous potential to affect positive change within a community in an effort to make progress toward sustainability, and contribute to an improved quality of life for the village’s citizens. The demonstration site discussed in this proposal can be used as a template with broad applicability to various sites throughout Dominica as well as the developed world. With its innovative and integrated approach to elementary education and community involvement, the LFL program can effectively employ existing knowledge within a creative approach.
Phase II
We are well positioned to implement Phase II as a result of the data collected over the past year. Phase II will focus on implementation of the demonstration site as well as integration of environmental stewardship into elementary and university curriculum.
The major objectives of Phase II are to:
- Design a pilot Landscape for Learning (LFL), using recycled materials as a focus. Involve community and school-aged children in all stages of the process.
- Integrate school’s learning objectives into the LFL and educational curriculum that complements the learning landscape, with an ultimate goal of reducing waste generated by the community by 30% by 2011.
- Create and disseminate educational materials in partnership with the Dominica Solid Waste Management Corporation, to increase environmental awareness and stewardship.
- Organize a community build, resulting in a community-focused garden and playground inclusive of all aspects of environmental stewardship and sustainability.
- Produce documentation and implementation advice for additional communities on Dominica and the United States wishing to adopt similar learning landscapes.
A waste characterization study performed by Dominica Solid Waste Management Corporation revealed that ~70,000 kg of solid waste was generated in the Grand Fond region between January and September of 2007 (DSWMC 2008). Of this, over 45% was organic material. This represents a tremendous potential for composting in the area. Diversion of organics as well as some of the recyclable plastic, glass, and metals will allow the community to reach the goal of a 30% waste reduction.
Three quantifiable metrics will be used to determine the success of the program: number of children actively using the learning landscape, waste diverted from landfill, and amount of produce grown in the organic garden. In addition to these metrics, less quantifiable benefits may also be realized, such as greater environmental awareness, increased tourism to the area, and improved nutrition within the community.
Information is available regarding construction of tire playgrounds and organic gardens in school grounds; however, there is no evidence of a program similar to this anywhere else in the world. The innovative aspect of this project is to reconceptualize environmental stewardship, showing that humans are not separate from natural cycles but an active part. Integrating recycling of organic material as well as industrial artifacts is seldom done. In addition, the level of curriculum integration allows numerous facets of sustainability to be explored while also improving quality of life within the community and reducing waste production. Technically, this project benefits from the full support of the Asphalt Rubber Technology Service, a premier research center promoting the reuse of used tires. The project will benefit from their technical expertise and innovative ideas regarding the use of waste tires in this application.