Committee backs higher container fees, creates anti-litter fund to fund waste cleanup

The Committee on Budget, Appropriations and Finance voted to approve Bill No. 36-0039 as amended, increasing fees on certain imported containers and flat-rack containers and splitting new revenue 50% to the government general fund and 50% to an Anti-Litter and Beautification Fund.

The amendment passed in committee assigns 50% of the revenue to the government general fund and 50% to the Anti-Litter and Beautification Fund established under Title 33, V.I. Code, section 3079; of that 50%, 25% must be used for garbage collection, solid-waste removal and territorywide beautification, and 25% to fund a territorial anti-litter beautification summer program administered by the Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority. Senator Hubert L. Frederick offered the amendment and the motion to report the bill favorably; the committee approved the measure by roll call (six yes, one absent) and sent it to the Committee on Rules and Judiciary for further consideration.

Why it matters: Committee members and witnesses said the change is intended to create a new, recurring revenue stream to address long-standing waste-management problems — including large numbers of illegally dumped tires, insufficient on-the-ground collection capacity and unpaid vendor invoices — and to support youth and beautification programs.

Discussion and operational details Interim Director Griffith of the Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority told the committee the authority is carrying significant unpaid vendor obligations that constrain operations. "I have 20,000,000 owed to vendors," Griffith said, adding the authority also reported a multi-million-dollar shortfall in its budget. Griffith described operational hurdles to enforcement and revenue collection: security cameras are functional but require frequent resets because of frequent power surges, and judges sometimes reduce littering fines, undermining deterrence.

Griffith described several near-term operational steps tied to increased revenue: installing vehicle scales at Saint Thomas (she estimated a two-month repair/installation window), deploying two smaller garbage trucks to improve downtown collection as finances permit, and hiring staff to remove accumulated tires once funding is available. "The fee that we're proposing is 50¢ a day, basically. $180, which is cheaper than everywhere in The United States," Griffith said when describing the container-fee level under discussion.

Committee members pushed for alternatives and safeguards. Several senators urged exploring public-private partnerships to remove and process tires; Griffith said the authority has already received private-sector presentations and continues to pursue both public and private options. Senators also discussed a possible sunset on part of the fee allocation so the authority does not rely on the revenue in perpetuity; Griffith said she prefers a continuing allocation but would accept a multiyear sunset (five to seven years) if it helped secure a transition toward self-sufficiency.

Enforcement and ancillary measures Committee members pressed for better enforcement and clearer implementation steps. Senators noted past fees with sunsets have not generated expected dollars and asked for timelines and accountability. Griffith said the authority will implement scales at all three main islands and is preparing flyers and coordination with septic-pumping companies to assure proper disposal and fee collection. She also flagged judicial reductions of littering tickets as a problem the authority plans to address through legislative and administrative changes.

Vote and next steps The committee recorded the measure as approved in committee and forwarded Bill No. 36-0039, as amended, to the Committee on Rules and Judiciary for further action. The committee announced the favorable vote by roll call: six yes votes, one absent. Senator Hubert L. Frederick moved the amendment and the motion to report the bill favorably; the motion was seconded and carried.

The authority and administration offered closing remarks. Interim Director Griffith pledged to implement the measure's provisions if enacted and to work on operational details. Bill Reimer, identified in committee as the administration's director for budget matters, thanked the committee for pursuing revenue-generating legislation. The committee chair closed the hearing and adjourned the session.

Ending: The bill now moves to Rules and Judiciary; committee members said they expect to refine typographical elements and the sunset language during further vetting, and the Waste Management Authority plans operational steps tied to any new revenue once the statute and implementing rules are finalized.