A Territory-wide derelict cleanup campaign is underway as Government continues its efforts to reduce the threat of Zika.    

Officials at the Department of Waste Management carried out a special derelict vehicle collection on Tortola on May 19 and 20 which resulted in the collection of 111 abandoned vehicles.

Manager, Greg Massicote explained that abandoned vehicles and boats can contribute significantly to mosquito breeding and the department is continuing its work to reduce the number of derelicts locally. 

Mr. Massicote said, “By reducing mosquito breeding sites we will lower our vulnerability to vector borne diseases like Dengue Fever, Chikungunya, and Zika.  We had hoped to collect more vehicles, however a large quantity of vehicles that were tagged for the cleanup were relocated somewhere else prior to the event.”

The collected derelicts will be processed and shipped overseas for recycling.  The department has shipped a total of 552 derelicts out of the Territory since the start of the 2016.

Mr. Massicote added, “Our aim is to not only rid the public streets of derelict vehicles, but also to greatly reduce the mountain of scrap metal from the derelict vehicle sites.”

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.