Delayed garbage collection may have led to concern among many residents — but sustainable development organisation Greenrock has found a silver lining to the cloud.

Group member Abbie Caldas said she is glad waste was allowed to mount, if only to make people aware of how much trash is generated.

Mrs Caldas made the news earlier this year when her zero waste approach to groceries served as an example of how to greatly reduce your household garbage.

Reflecting on recent delays, which public works minister Craig Cannonier has blamed on unprecedented mechanical issues with trucks, Mrs Caldas said residents should not require collections so frequently.

“It’s a good thing that the trash wasn’t collected,” she said. “We should be able to go two weeks.”

As the organisation’s eco-schools programme coordinator she is well-versed in educating the public in waste reduction.

“As an island, we’ve definitely got around the idea of litter,” she said. “Take a step back. What about not producing that stuff in the first place?”

Members of the public expressed disappointment at the state of the Island’s roadside, with backlogs recorded at the start of this year and over the Cup Match holiday last year.

Public holidays, smaller trucks and rainy weather have all taken a share of the blame — but Mrs Caldas insisted the problem is, in part, a public responsibility.

Using Greenpeace’s Viral video The Story of a Spoon as an example of the importance of considered choices when consuming, she urged buyers to regard the life-cycle of a product “from the cradle to the grave”.

Mrs Caldas said that the path to a greener existence begins at home. “Look in your trash,” she said. “I want to encourage people to look at what they’re consuming.

“The main thing is to be conscious of it and consider it important and your responsibility. It’s a bit of a cliché but if we each do a little bit, it really can make a huge difference.”

Meanwhile Dennis Lister, Shadow Minister of Public Works, said in a statement yesterday: “The delay in picking up the trash was not a labour issue, but rather a management one.”

Mr Lister offered praise to those operating the garbage collection trucks for working through their weekend but added: “Why were such a high number of trucks were out of service? The answer is a clear matter of lack of maintenance.”

He urged Mr Cannonier to provide sufficient funding to solve the problem.