From thebahamasweekly.com -

Bahamas Information Services Updates
$20 Million Budget being allocated towards updating Management Operations at the Landfill
By Gena Gibbs
Mar 11, 2010 - 10:19:39 AM

1-New-Providence-landfill-.jpg
Trucks carry garbage up the hill of the landfill behind the Department of Environmental Health’s Sanitation and Waste Site on Tonique Williams Darling Highway.  This area is the only site available for dumping waste in New Providence.  The Government wants to initiate a Waste to Energy program at the site in 5 years, to correct the poor management problems that led to recent fire outbreaks.  Under the new management plan, the landfill will last up to 50 years. (BIS photo/Gena Gibbs)

Nassau, Bahamas - A $20 million budget is being allocated towards updating management operations of the New Providence landfill on Tonique Williams Darling Drive and eliminating future fires in the area.
 
Another positive result will be the creation of about 30 jobs, Minister for the Environment the Hon Earl Deveaux announced at a press conference, Monday, March 8.

 “The construction of the landfill, the new (landfill) cell and the recycling and shredding plant would amount to approximately $20 Million over a five-year period,” he said.
 
“Right now, people are paying for garbage collection through their taxes, but we believe we can go through a more direct process.”
 
“With proper planning, we believe our next step is to have a waste to energy program, in place in five years, so our next step is a comprehensive program for solid waste management,” Mr Deveaux said. 

2-Warning-sign.jpg
Security for the landfill has always been an issue and the Ministry will impose a comprehensive plan to secure the perimeter of the landfill site. A sign outside the front of the landfill clearly states that salvaging and scavenging is prohibited without permission from the Director of the Department of Environmental Health. (BIS photo/Gena Gibbs)

The Government assigned two companies, Cambridge Development and Standtech on March 2, to commence work and mobilize resources to deal with the fire that started on February 12.  They will also help with some of the Government’s objectives.
 
“Our first objective is to permit access to people, who profit from sorting through garbage, so we will know at all times who is on the site,” Mr Deveaux explained.
 
“The second thing is to secure the perimeter fence, make it stronger, and cover the number of holes I observed in it.”
 
3-Workers.jpg
People gather everyday at the landfill dumpsite to collect garbage that can be recycled or reused.  The Ministry plans to put conveyor belts in the dumpsite to make it easier for workers to sort through and categorize waste be reused. (BIS photo/Gena Gibbs)

The Ministry of the Environment plans to privatize the landfill management to Cambridge Development, an American company with Bahamian interests, to initiate the Government’s program to convert waste into electricity.  
 
 “By burning waste and converting it to energy, the landfill’s life will be extended.  With good management, it gives us time to buy additional options, to accommodate population growth,” Mr Deveaux said.
 
The new waste to energy program will create at least 30 jobs, using persons who are familiar with the landfill already.
 
“The plan is to hire people already there, because they are willing to be there to do that work.  They have ownership in the site, so that means we can exercise a higher level of control,” Mr Deveaux said.
 
“We need people there to help out with the sorting of garbage and placing it on the conveyor belt, as it is received.”
 
Recently, accumulated household waste, combined with other flammable materials, became a fire hazard, driven by recent high winds spreading the fire throughout the landfill area.
 
“We mobilized a fleet of heavy equipment, trucks, and water pumps to expose all the burning areas of the fire,” said Mr Deveaux.
 
“The burning bits of wood, mixed in with household garbage, made it difficult to manage.  However, we have essential fill material to cover all that is there.”
 
4-Wood-and-tires.jpg
Wood and tires are piled up separately because of their combustibility and are sometimes used as fuel to light fires by those living in the landfill area. (BIS photo/Gena Gibbs)  

The Ministry of the Environment maintains that inadequate landfill management caused the fire.
 
“This exposed the inadequacies of the landfill’s management, so we are not allowing another opportunity for another outbreak,” Mr Deveaux said.
 
“We have no option of relocating the New Providence landfill because it is really the only available site and with good management it should last us 50 years.”
 
 “Under the new management, we propose integrity and security of the site, allowing permitted access only, and removing unauthorized persons from the premises,” Mr Deveaux said.

© Copyright 2010 by thebahamasweekly.com -