MAY 5, 2021 By Julia Rawlins- Bentham – BGIS
Ongoing efforts to reduce the excess of 70-feet of metal at B’s Recycling will not reduce the possibility of combustion, but it will increase the ability of officials to manage or fight a possible fire.
Chief Fire Officer of the Barbados Fire Service (BFS), Errol Maynard, who was speaking during a virtual press conference last evening with Minister of Home Affairs, Information and Public Affairs, Wilfred Abrahams, to update the public on what was happening with the facility, explained: “What we are trying to do is ensure that if it (combustion) does occur, we can manage it and manage it properly, because once there is fuel available there is the possibility of combustion.”
He added that ongoing work at the plant, since April 26, had seen mitigation measures being implemented to better manage the situation in the event of a fire.
B’s Recycling was served notice under the Health Service Regulations on April 22, and its Manager, Paul Bynoe, ordered to clean-up the premises within 21 days of the notice.
This follows reports dated back to 2019 from the Chief Fire Officer about the state of the facility and the potential fire and environmental hazards posed by its current condition.
Under the present order, B’s Recycling has been ordered to:
- Halt the acceptance of all material to the site.
- Remove all material from the perimeter of the site, allowing for equipment access and fire mitigation measures.
- Remove and dispose of all materials from the entire site identified by the Minister of Health as necessary to be removed to the satisfaction of the Minister of Health.
- Divide the metal heap into a minimum of five piles, 15 feet apart and a maximum height of 2.5 metres.
- Implement a vector control programme to reduce vector population to acceptable levels, and prevent the dispersal of vectors into nearby communities.
- Assess the impact of the operation, and mitigate all environmental impacts to the satisfaction of the Minister of Health.
This relocation and remediation exercise is being managed by Leona Deane of the Sanitation Service Authority, who is working with the Chief Fire Officer to bring the situation under control.
“The objective of reducing the high level of the piles and removing the combustible materials is to make it safe and to reduce the impact of any incident of fire at the location,” Mr. Abrahams stated.
He added that under the current operation, the BFS was using infrared and heat detecting imagery to verify that there was no combustion going on at the site.
“This is a case where we did not want to wait for any combustion. We decided to act, so if combustion did happen, it could be brought under control. If that pile had started to burn, there would have been no way to get to the middle of the pile. We would have just simply had to let it burn out until it stopped. That was a situation that was not acceptable to myself, Government or the Chief Fire Officer,” he explained.
Mr. Abrahams reiterated that while B’s Recycling remained opened to receive plastic and card for recycling, an order was given that it was not to receive any more metal.
MAY 5, 2021 By Julia Rawlins- Bentham – BGIS
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Major Cleanup Under Way At B’s Recycling
MAY 5, 2021
Government has initiated a major clean-up exercise at B’s Recycling Plant in St. Thomas to mitigate potential fire and environmental hazards.
While the plant continues to receive plastic and card for recycling, it is no longer receiving metal waste, as its management works with Government to clear the four-acre space, which is in excess of 70-feet high of unsorted material.
This was disclosed by Minister of Home Affairs, Information and Public Affairs, Wilfred Abrahams, during a virtual press conference last evening. He was joined by Chief Fire Officer, Errol Maynard.
“Instructions have also been given to Mr. Bynoe not to accept any more metal at the site, and we are soliciting the public’s assistance in this regard. This operation is expected to continue until the site has been deemed safe by the Chief Fire Officer,” he said.
It also follows notice being served on the plant under the Health Services Regulation on April 22, which gave Mr. Bynoe 24 hours to begin the work that is to be completed within 21 days of the notice.
He explained this action was taken following reports from the Chief Fire Officer about the state of the facility, as far back as 2019, and more recent reports revealing that the situation had worsened.
However, in an effort to “combat this hazard of unsorted and comingled waste”, Mr. Abrahams said a meeting was held on site with Attorney General Dale Marshall; Minister of the Environment and National Beautification, Adrian Forde; officials from the Ministry of Health and Wellness; the Environmental Protection Department; the Sanitation Service Authority (SSA); the Department of Emergency Management; the Barbados Fire Service and the Pan-American Health Organization on April 23, to devise an immediate plan of action.
The aim of that plan, Mr. Abrahams pointed out, was to immediately reduce the hazards associated with the stock piles of waste; reduce the height of the stock piles and create an access around it; utilise the waste as a resource to save land and quarry space and to assess the level of soil contamination, and remediate as necessary.
He added that a team, including officials from the BFS, the SSA and a private enterprise, was working on site along with Mr. Bynoe to mitigate the situation.
“To date, we have removed 248 truckloads or 554 metric tonnes of material from the site to the Sanitation Service Authority metal dump at Bagatelle, St. Thomas. Additionally, 265 cars have been baled by Mr. Bynoe and containerised for shipment,” Mr. Abrahams outlined, noting they had received Mr. Bynoe’s full cooperation, thus far.
In response to questions from the media of an alternate site for B’s Recycling, Mr. Abrahams said it was no longer an available
MAY 5, 2021 By Julia Rawlins- Bentham – BGIS
