Tourism is vital for economies across the Caribbean, but record-breaking numbers of visitors, coupled with insufficient local waste facilities, are leaving many islands choking on rubbish.

The smell hits you first. Then there is the assault of flies, the swirling dust, the grit that gets in your eyes. And finally, you see the vast expanse of trash.

Antigua's landfill site is one place that is not listed in the tourism brochures. And it has been overcapacity for more than a decade.

A short distance away, behemoth cruise ships dwarf the island's capital city St John's. Often more than 10 per week.

Each one will discharge thousands of passengers eager to experience the island's rustic charm. The huge vessels will also offload some of their rubbish. Sometimes several tonnes per call.

Antigua's landfill has received more than 1,200 tonnes of rubbish from cruise ships this year alone, official figures leaked to the BBC reveal.

The cruise ships follow international rules on waste and recycling. But as ship and passenger numbers in the Caribbean have risen to record highs, there is simply much more rubbish and recycling being offloaded in Caribbean ports.

This, in turn, is putting pressure on inadequate and under-resourced local waste management and recycling systems.

"There have been no significant improvements to the way we manage waste over the past 10 years," laments David Spencer, a former manager of Antigua's solid waste management authority.

Since the island's landfill site opened two decades ago, he says that no additional contained waste areas have been created at the facility. These are spaces lined with synthetic, protective material to prevent leakage into the surrounding ground. Instead, Spencer says, fresh garbage, be it from the island's own waste or the cruise ships, has been piled ever more on top of the existing area, creating a large hill.

One current worker tells the BBC that the area contained within the protective sheeting has been full since 2012. "It disturbs me a lot," he admits. "It's mind blowing to see the volumes of rubbish."

He adds that as much of the waste, which is compressed and buried, is now outside the lined area. "You can only imagine the damage to the environment."

The current boss of the solid waste management authority, Danley Philip, says efforts are afoot to transform the landfill into an "efficient waste management system".

"We plan to get technicians with experience to manage it properly because currently it's really just a dump with very little sorting," he admits.

The environment minister of Antigua and Barbuda did not respond to a request for comment, but Philip says government investment in new equipment, plus international funding to convert old tyres into asphalt for roads, are on the........

© BBC