Residents of St. Thomas faced collection delays at refuse bins across the island after the V.I. Waste Management Authority announced the problem on Monday. The agency said it was taking active steps to restore regular pickup services.
Pending the clearance, householders were directed to deposit waste at either the Bovoni Landfill or Mandahl Convenience Center. Bovoni's schedule runs 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and Saturdays, with Sunday hours from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mandahl, operating under temporary extended hours, accepts waste from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays.
By early Tuesday morning, solid waste teams had begun the removal effort at roughly 2 a.m., according to the Authority. Work finished at Raphune Hill and Havensight before shifting to Solberg, Black Point, Cancryn and Caret Bay. Staff from St. John were being brought in to bolster the cleanup operation.
The Authority has not explained what triggered the backlog. In August testimony before senators, Executive Director Hannibal "Mike" Ware cited "serious, legacy debt" stemming from the 2017 hurricanes. He noted that some waste collection contractors remained unpaid due to "complications with FEMA" refusing to reimburse vendor expenses.
Legislators raised concern that certain haulers had accumulated personal debt to meet payroll obligations and risked shutting down operations unless the government settled its bills.
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