Residents reject transfer of material from B’s Recycling to former Bagatelle dump

Residents in the Hoyte’s Village, St James area are not pleased that the abandoned Bagatelle Metal Dump is now being used to house old metals from B’s Recycling Cane Garden, St Thomas site that has been declared an environmental and health hazard.

Moreover, residents who spoke with Barbados TODAY said they were surprised that Government would move the junk to the area without informing them.

Earlier this week, Minister of Home Affairs Wilfred Abrahams revealed that operators of the Cane Garden metal dump, B’s Recycling, were served notice to prevent them from accepting any new metal waste for the time being.

This development came following two inspections – one on August 13, 2019 and again on February 26, 2021 – which found that the situation at the St Thomas dump had deteriorated.

The notice ordered owner of the operation Paul Bynoe to remove and dispose all materials from the site’s four-acre parameter, to divide the metal heap into a minimum of five piles, 15-feet apart with a  maximum of 2.5 metres and to implement a vector control programme to reduce the vector population.

He was given 21 days to carry out the directives. The Sanitation Services Authority (SSA) has been removing material from the site since April 26.

However, furious residents downwind in the Hoyte’s Village area questioned the rationale behind the move.

“They bring it from up there because it has in rats and it is a fire hazard. When they bring it down here what is it going to do? It is going to be the same fire hazard and have the same rats,” said Nigel Archer.

The resident complained about the conditions of the roads since the activities started at the location.

“They doing it smart. They don’t let anybody know that they are bringing it. Not a fellow don’t come here and tell anybody anything. Them things not right.”.

Archer, who said he was responsible for pointing out a fire at the dump several years ago, said his message to authorities now would be “don’t bring it”

“We don’t want it down here. Leave it where it is or carry it out some place by mount stinkaroo. It will come and cause the same confusion that it causing out there,” he said.

One lady who lives closest to the old dump site, which has been reactivated, told Barbados TODAY she was concerned about the dust especially since one of her children suffered from asthma.

She complained that the daily activity at the dump was also proving to be a challenge for her as she tried to work from home and her children engage in online classes.

“When they are compacting you can hear all the machinery working. So it is a bit distracting,” said the lady who gave her name as Renée.

She said she was concerned that if a fire was to break out at the location she would be greatly affected.

Barbados TODAY understands that officials have been wetting the roads leading to the dump at least twice daily to minimize the flare-up of dust.

When our news team visited the area on Friday, several trucks were seen entering the location with marl as tractors at the site carried out compacting work in a section of the old dump site.

One man, who resides within walking distance of the dump, said he opposed the metal being placed at the Bagatelle site, complaining that authorities should have informed the residents before they started relocating the stuff.

“The dust is going to affect me and my son. My son is an asthmatic and I don’t want to be running with him to the hospital in these COVID times. It will definitely have a big impact on me with cleaning of my house every day . . .  and I don’t have any money to take my son to the doctor,” said the man who would only give his name as Levi.

“It is about 30 yards off my house. I definitely oppose it. It is a hazard,” he said, adding “I was not made aware of the dump being brought so close to my house again. It was here before and we complained and eventually it moved. But I definitely don’t want it back here”.

Efforts to reach Member of Parliament for the St James Central constituency Kerrie Symmonds were unsuccessful, and when a Barbados TODAY team visited Bynoe at his Cane Garden facility he said he was not in a position to comment on the developments.

However, another resident in the Hoyte’s village area said she was now in a wait-and-see mode.

“Last time we had a fire above here and Lord, it was really annoying, but I don’t feel they had any right bringing the stuff back down inside here. Right now I am not getting no [dust] because it don’t come my way yet,” she said.

She said it was a neighbour across the street who notified her that the metal at Cane Garden was being moved to the Bagatelle location.

“I see the stuff coming but I didn’t know it come from at B’s . . . not until he brought it to my daughter’s attention a couple nights ago. We got to wait and see,” she said, adding that she was also concerned about the bush on the property.

(marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb)