BARBADOS: $140m waste plan

$140m waste plan - Sunday 26, October-2003
by Julie Wilson 

BARBADOS’ economy stands to benefit from  $604 million over a 20-year period 
once Government gives the nod to the proposal put forward by a Canadian-led 
consortium to build a $140 million solid waste facility. 

Canadian sources indicated yesterday that Government was in the process of 
reviewing the proposal submitted by the consortium and perhaps about to make 
a decision. 

And if the answer is positive, Government would have found a way out of the 
embarrasing Greenland “fiasco” and at the same time, the answer to this 
country’s solid waste needs – without having to  spend another cent of 
taxpayers’ money. 

The spokesperson explained that the $604 million would be generated through 
capital investment, corporation taxes, reduction in the importation of  
fossil fuels and chemical fertilizers. 

It was pointed out by the source that Government was cognisant of the 
limitations of the Mangrove Pond Landfill and there was a specific timetable 
in which they needed to make a decision. 

The source said the project has received support from the Caribbean 
Development Bank (CDB) and the International Financial Corporation, an arm of 
the World Bank, both of whom indicated they would provide debt financing to 
the consortium. 

The CDB sectorial specialist also stated that the process could be seen as 
the preferable solution for small island developing states (SIDS). 

Preliminary discussions were also held with the Canadian Commercial 
Corporation, a government owned company, who would provide a sovereign 
guarantee for the performance of the waste management system being proposed. 

The $750 000 study funded by Canadian International Development Agency 
involved a detailed audit and characterisation of the entire ‘waste stream’ 
and this included an intercept of 7 900 vehicles over a six month period to 
determine the total volume of waste being generated by Barbadians. 

In addition, a waste characterisation study in accordance with best 
international standards to determine the mix of the waste being carried to 
the landfill was also done. 

Out of this study the spokesperson for the consortium was able to determine 
the best configuration for a total waste management solution. 

He said one element which came out of the study was the fact that there was 
much more waste being generated than was contemplated by the Sewerage  and 
Solid Waste Project Unit. 

The consortium proposes to build a state-of-the art, fully integrated waste 
management and resource recovery facility at the intersection of Mangrove 
Road and Highway 3, St Thomas, to handle the entire waste stream being 
delivered to the nearby Mangrove Pond Landfill, plus the liquid being 
disposed of at  Lonesome Hill, St Peter. 

The facility will include construction and operation of an anaerobic 
digestion (AD) plant to process the organic part of the waste stream and 
extract recyclable materials for sale. The core technology to be utilised in 
the plant, [the BTA process] is a successfully proven and commercially 
operating process used in over 20 installations in Europe, Africa, Asia and 
Canada. 

In the facility, construction waste will be sorted and screened to recover 
material that could be recycled back in the industry. 

“The average consumer does not have to sort his waste, there is no need to 
change behavioural patterns to allow full economic recovery from waste to 
happen.” 

“There is a series of different technologies within the solution which allows 
for the segregation of the waste,” the source said. 

During the study a number of potential strategic local partners had been 
identified and they include the Barbados Light and Power (BL&P), Duraplast, 
the Arawak Cement Plant, and the Ministry of Agriculture. 

The objective is to have a fully self-sufficient and sustainable resource 
based plant with the biogas produced from the AD system collected and used as 
the fuel in the cogeneration engines,  which produce both  electricity and 
heat. 

Both products will be utilised on site and the surplus electricity [50 per 
cent] will be sold to the power grid. 

In the area of agriculture, the anaerobic digestive system would remove all 
the potential contaminants of the compost which could then be used 
extensively on crop production without fear of further damage to the 
environment and  replace chemical fertilisers currently in use. 

A hazardous waste transfer station will also be constructed to provide a 
secure central repositiory until such material is shipped off-island for 
disposal. The group’s proposal also provides managment of the bulk waste site 
at Bagatelle, St James. 

“The beauty is that it provides a win-win situation in that the existing 
Greenland Landfill could be incorporated in an environmentally benign way and 
its use extended since it would be taking 90 per cent less waste than 
originally contemplated. 

“As a result of the reduction of landfill requirements,  the life of the 
Greenland Landfill could be extended significantly,” the source said. 




SOURCE: Barbados Nation