The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

The Democratic National Alliance’s (DNA) leader yesterday slammed both PLP and FNM administrations over their handling of the New Providence landfill, again questioning what became of a $23.5 million Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) loan to finance a solid waste management programme.

Branville McCartney said: “The dump is still burning under the FNM and the PLP. The FNM had $35 million to remediate or fix the dump. We don’t know where that went.

“We would not be having this problem today if the FNM had fixed the dump.We borrowed that money from the IDB; $25 million from the IDB, and $10 million that the people put in. What do we have to show for it? This is a serious concern because whether you smell that dump or not, we are all affected on this island.”

Kenred Dorsett, minister of the environment and housing, confirmed to Tribune Business late last month that the Government was planning to issue a structured tender, seeking proposals to manage and remediate the New Providence landfill, “as soon as possible”.

The wholly-Bahamian Waste Resources Development Group (WRDG) consortium,  which now has 10 Bahamian waste service provider members, is among those who have submitted bids to take over the landfill’s management following the recent blaze at the site. They have partnered with Providence Advisors and its chief executive, Kenwood Kerr.

Renew Bahamas walked away from its New Providence landfill management contract in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, citing security and safety concerns amid the absence of electricity supply, and a spate of thefts and shootings.

It had previously been seeking to renegotiate its management contract and associated financial terms with the Christie administration, having revealed to Tribune Business it had been incurring continuous, heavy losses.

The Government subsequently charged that Renew Bahamas had used Hurricane Matthew as an excuse to pull-out, having realised that its business model - which depended almost exclusively on the sale and export of materials recycled from the landfill - was not viable or sustainable.