The Department of Waste Management is encouraging the community to dispose of waste oil safely at the incinerator in Pockwood Pond.

Waste Officer, Mr. Marquese Maduro said the department is requesting that individuals and businesses that generate significant amounts of waste oil are to bring the oil to Pockwood Pond where it can dispose of safely.

Waste oil is defined as any petroleum-based or synthetic oil such as automotive, cooking oil and other lubricants.

According to Mr. Maduro the waste oil disposal system at Pockwood Pond at its capacity can hold between 1500 and 2000 gallons of oil.

Once the waste oil is received it is held in the system until it is ready to be burned.  The oil is then taken to the lower chambers of the incinerator where it is burned at a very high temperature while releasing minimal toxins.

Mr. Maduro further stated that persons should refrain from disposing of oil in kitchen sinks and the environment and leaving waste oil in close proximity of dumpsters.

“Cooking oil can clog your sink and over time can cause issues with the plumbing” The Waste Officer explained. He said the department has a problem with persons disposing of oil in close proximity to residential dumpsters and that there are cases where waste oil is dumped into the sea which has significant environmental implications.

Mr. Maduro said that while some restaurants have been utilizing the system to dispose of their waste oil, there is an urgent need for more persons to dispose of their waste oil at Pockwood Pond. 

 “If we want to continue to have a healthy environment we cannot have waste oil being dumped into our ghuts, ponds or sea shores,”  Mr. Maduro stressed, adding, “We don’t want to see waste oil piling up around our community bins and we definitely don’t want the environmental impact of the oil damaging the sea life and coral reefs.”

He reiterated the need for everyone to do their part to dispose of waste oil safely by storing the oil in tanks or containers that are in good condition and free of leaks and have them transported to the incinerator in Pockwood Pond for safe disposal.

The Department of Waste Management is committed to ensuring that the natural beauty of the Territory is enhanced by  utilising state of the art waste management technology to ensure timely collection disposal and where possible the recycling of waste.