Seventy three derelict vehicles were removed from Virgin Gorda last weekend as part of a major cleanup campaign.

The campaign was organised by the Department of Waste Management to minimise the buildup of neglected and unmaintained vehicles on the island. The derelicts were transported to the main site on Tortola, where they will be processed and eventually shipped out of the Territory.

Manager at the Department of Waste Management, Greg Massicote stated that these efforts are part of the "fight the bite” campaign to reduce mosquito breeding in the Territory. He explained that in order to prevent possible breeding sites for rodents and mosquitos, the department started the initiative to minimise the amount of derelict vehicles.

Mr. Massicote said, “This is the first phase of the department's efforts to reduce the amount of derelicts on Virgin Gorda.  The department will be organising another shipment in the near future as more scrap metal is shipped out of the Territory. We have already shipped over 250 derelict vehicles out of the Territory since the beginning of 2016."

The Manager said the department has put measures in place to maintain a steady flow of these abandoned vehicles out of the Territory over the next few months. He added that the aim is to reduce the amount of derelicts on the streets and eventually reduce the pile of scrap metals on Virgin Gorda and Tortola.

Mr. Massicote thanked the staff of the Virgin Gorda branch of BVI Ports Authority for their continued assistance with the removal of the derelict vehicles.

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.