Recycling advocate feels defeated

Prominent waste hauler Anderson ‘Fat Child’ Cherry says he feels defeated and sadder than he has ever been in recent years as he defends himself against a recent tongue-lashing from Cabinet Minister.

Cherry, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Jose Y Jose Liquid and Solid Waste Management Inc, was responding to Minister of Energy, Small Business and Entrepreneurship Kerrie Symmonds, who last week accused the waste hauler of starting a project at Mangrove, St Thomas without permission from Town and Country Planning.

This followed a video circulating on social media showing employees at the proposed site of Cherry’s Recycling Project Limited expressing concern about the likely destruction of a cave, which was discovered at the site during excavation of the area and even revealing stalactites, some of which were already broken.

Symmonds said the Chief Town Planner and the Environmental Protection Department should intervene and take urgent action against Cherry, whose planned project straddles his St James Central constituency and that of St Thomas MP Cynthia Forde.

The Minister contended that the controversial waste hauler’s efforts to construct a recycling facility “without permission” should not be tolerated, declaring that Barbados does not need business people who treat rules and regulations as a matter of convenience.

But in a strong rebuff, Cherry told the Minister of Small Business that instead of trying to “bury me, why not help me?”

“I am again in the media defending myself against those who say they are representatives of the people … defending actions that for the past 30 plus years have been focused on developing a model that delivers on every single one of the objectives of COP26,” the recycling advocate told Barbados TODAY.

“Instead of overreacting on poor or inaccurate third-party information: Why not help me, as the minister in charge of small business, to get my long outstanding plans through Town Planning; help us with the technical support with our EV projects; help us commission our new solar manufacturing project [and] help us bring all the ministries and technical support to help our project,” he urged.

Cherry also invited Symmonds to visit the site and see for himself what has been achieved and what is projected.

He argued that his companies have been using the media for years trying to roll out a recycling plan. “We need help from your office,” the waste hauler added.

“Why not help me find work for my split body recycling trucks now that all of my pink bins have to be moved from 11,232 customers to make room for Prosource Ltd and help with your technical team to assist in our planning permission on our site, which is located next door to cell 2 at the [Mangrove] Landfill,” the businessman declared.

Cherry added: “Help for cleaning up and payment for removing hundreds of loads of contaminated material that was pushed over unto our proposed site by the SSA and help with any technical support to help divert green waste from the landfill.”

He also had a message for St Thomas MP Forde.

“Help me plan and strategize on how to get Arch Hall residents to come out to a town hall meeting arranged and funded by the Government of Barbados to discuss the project and help empower me and other entrepreneurs in the same recycling space.”

Cherry also invited prominent developer Mark Maloney to sit on the board of his company.

“I know you are a wonderful business man who loves your country and gets things done. I need persons like yourself with your level of influence to sit on our board, so we too can get some of our projects passed without so many problems,” the entrepreneur stated. (EJ)