Residents living near Marsh Folly waste facility have to live with organic matter being blasted onto their roofs, a Senator has complained.

Shadow Tourism Minister Kim Swan told the Senate he had been hit in the face with "mulch" which missed a house as he drove past the site on his motorcycle recently.

He said the material ? from horticultural and other organic waste ? was collecting on the roofs of homes in Perimeter Lane.

"The residents living in that area get the organic material on their roofs and are consuming what's in there," he said.

Works and Engineering Minister Sen. David Burch had earlier explained that the Government facility was to be "rehabilitated".

He said that organic waste, once processed there, could be used as a valuable soil amendment for local farms, nurseries and gardens.

"The current composting method at Marsh Folly requires a considerable amount of space and is generating concern from the neighbouring residential areas with respect to odours and aesthetics," he admitted.

"In light of further residential developments near Marsh Folly, the elimination of the environmental impacts at Marsh Folly is a high priority."

He said his Ministry was looking at introducing an "in-vessel" composting plant to reduce the problems suffered by residents.

Sen. Swan also raised concerns about water use on the Island. He said the Government should develop an effluent plant to recycle water for flushing. "Too much potable water is being used for flushing," he said.

And he asked that water catchments which are highly visible to tourists be painted. "Some of these water catchments haven't been whitewashed in a number of years.

"There is one on Anchorage Street in St. George's. Every cruise boat can see. I would urge Government to take these examples and paint them."

Equally, he said, the foreshore near Fort St. Catherine needed to be tidied up.

Sen. Swan questioned whether enough was being spent on roads in the 2006/07 Budget. He said traffic was increasingly all the time and the Government should be reinforcing the structural foundations of key stretches of road.