The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

THE former Ingraham administration was in talks with several companies to privatise waste management and collection in New Providence, but nothing major was near finalisation, FNM Chairman Charles Maynard yesterday confirmed.

During the FNM's term in office, Mr Maynard said "challenging and problematic" areas for the Solid Waste Division of the Department of Environmental Services (DEHS) were out-sourced to private companies to ensure garbage collection remained efficient on the island.

He said: "We were in discussions with some private companies to privatise not only garbage collection, but the maintenance of the land fill and developing waste energy, but nothing concluded.

"We gave those companies an opportunity to amalgamate themselves for the task, but that is as far as we got."

Mr Maynard was responding to newly appointed Environment and Housing Minister Kenred Dorsett's claims that the previous government neglected the Solid Waste Division of the Department of Environmental Health Services as privatisation was impending.

Mr Dorsett made the allegations in the House of Assembly as he gave his contribution to the 2012/2013 budget debate.

Mr Dorsett said: "It is also apparent that the former administration neglected the solid waste division of the Department of Environmental Health Services. That neglect appeared intentional and a part of an attempt to privatise Solid Waste Collection in New Providence."

Mr Dorsett pointed out that the previous government contracted more than $2 million to private companies for waste collection when the money could have been used to pick up the slack in other areas of the Department.

"A private contractor recently stated that a new garbage truck could cost as much as $250,000. Well just imagine, Mr Speaker, since September 2011 until May 2012, the department has advised that the government of the Bahamas has spent over $2.1 million to private contractors to assist in the collection of solid waste.

"Some of that money could have been used in the non-rainy months to buy more trucks. Some of that money could have been used to pay the hardworking staff their overtime.

"Instead the former administration thought that it was best to use private contractors at the expense of the Bahamian people without a plan to get the fleet to a state where we could reduce the reliance and need for private contractors.

"Why, Mr Speaker, would you pay private contractors $5 per household, when your internal costs are only $2.50?"

However, Mr Maynard said the acquisition of a new fleet of garbage trucks was not as easy as the Minister had made it sound. Furthermore he said the government saw out-sourcing the task as a money saving initiative for Bahamian taxpayers.

"One of the realities of the trucks is that they ran 24 hour shifts which wears them down. We thought it would have made more sense for us to hire private companies who were in a better position to take care of all the maintenance needed.

"Dorsett is right when he says we could have bought tucks with the money we spent to have private companies take care of the task, however, the trucks would have had to be ordered and then would have taken 12-18 months for delivery," Mr Maynard said.