Due to significant environmental and health risks posed by its current plant at Cane Garden, St Thomas, B’s Recycling has been ordered by Government to undergo a major cleanup of its premises.
And as part of efforts to minimize further danger, a notice has been served to the recycling business preventing it from accepting any metal waste for the time being.
This was revealed today by Minister of Home Affairs, Information and Public Affairs Wilfred Abrahams, who said B’s Recycling plant had become an environmental hazard.
In explaining the development, Abrahams said the Barbados Fire Service (BFS) conducted an inspection at B’s Recycling following a fire there on August 13, 2019.
He said Chief Fire Officer Errol Maynard outlined his concerns then to owner Paul Bynoe, including the fact that there was a large mound of unsorted, unrecyclable material in excess of 70 feet high, which posed a danger if there was another fire or emergency on the plant.
Abrahams said another inspection was done on February 26, 2021, and it was found that the situation had deteriorated.
He said B’s Recycling’s four acres of space was at full capacity and contained all types of combustibles being stored together, including hydrocarbons.
Additionally, he said there was no separation of the heaps of waste at the plant.
Abrahams said additional waste was still being accepted.
“The factors mentioned at this facility are of grave concern to me as the Minister of Home Affairs as well as the Chief Fire Officer, as a fire or rescue at site as a result of collapse would be extremely challenging,” he contended.
As a result, Abrahams said officials from the Ministry of Health and Wellness, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD), the Department of Emergency Management (DEM), the Sanitation Service Authority (SSA), the BFS and PAHO, visited the site on April 23.
He said following that site visit a plan of action was immediately put in place.
“Based on the magnitude of the problem at the facility, the teams’ aim is to reduce the hazards associated with stockpiles of waste, reduce the height of the stockpiles and create an access around it to utilize the waste as a resource in order to save land and property space and to access the level of soil contamination and remediate as necessary,” Abrahams said.
“The Chief Fire Officer is of the view that if the situation is not immediately rectified a fire or incident at this location could result in an environmental disaster.”
The home affairs minister said personnel from the SSA, BFS and private personnel were working on site with Bynoe to mitigate the situation.
He disclosed that the waste material was being transported to the SSA’s metal dump at Bagatelle, St Thomas, while derelict vehicles were being crushed, containerized and shipped overseas.
Abrahams said due to the circumstances a notice was served on B’s Recycling under the Health Services Nuisances Regulation.
The notice orders Bynoe to remove all materials from the site’s perimeter, remove and dispose of all materials from the site as directed by the Minister of Health, to divide the metal heap into a minimum of five piles, 15-feet apart with a maximum height of 2.5 metres and to implement a vector control programme to reduce the vector population.
Bynoe has been given 21 days to carry out the directives.
Abrahams, however, said Bynoe had been working closely with Government to rectify the situation.
The minister said mitigation work began on April 26 and had so far moved 248 truckloads or 554 metric tonnes of material from B’s Recycling to the SSA’s metal dump, while 265 cars had already been containerized.
Abrahams pointed out that B’s Recycling would still be allowed to accept plastic and card waste.
The Chief Fire Officer said while no incidences of combustion had occurred as yet there was always the possibility it could.
He said while the cleanup effort would not prevent combustion it would ensure that if it did happen it could be properly managed. (randybennett@barbadostoday.bb)
