A pilot project to provide members of the public with trash bins is in the pipeline.

Lieutenant-Colonel David Burch, the Minister of Public Works made the announcement during his Statement in the House of Assembly last Friday.

The trash-bin scheme was mentioned as part of an update provided on a number of waste management issues.

Details on when the project would launch and whether there would be any out-of-pocket cost to the taxpayer were not immediately provided.

Questions sent to a government spokesperson for more information were not responded to by the time of press yesterday.

The Government’s Vector Control Service warned in May that reports of rats were on the rise in locations where trash had been allowed to pile up since the island switched to once-weekly trash collection.

Several environmental groups said at the time that a trash-bin programme could help combat the rodent problem.

A ten-week trial period for the once-a-week collection went into effect in February. It was extended in April, and then again in June.

Colonel Burch said at a press conference last month that the once-weekly collection would continue until at least the end of the year.

In his statement last Friday, Colonel Burch also said that about 50 containers worth of asbestos had been shipped to the United States after “negotiating an agreement” to dispose of it.

He added: “Regular shipments will continue as budget allows.”

Colonel Burch said that more than 200 derelict cars had also been removed from the Government quarry near Harrington Sound.

He added that the island’s recycling plant had operated “without incident” in 2018, but at “nowhere [near] capacity”.

• To read Lieutenant-Colonel David Burch’s statement in full, click on the PDF under “Related Media”