The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The New Providence landfill's operator yesterday hailed the "first fire-free swummer in decades" as a "remarkable accomplishment" amid key boardroom changes.

Henry Dean, deputy chairman of New Providence Ecology Park, declined to comment on Felix Stubbs' ascendancy to the chairman's seat to replace Kenwood Kerr, the Providence Advisors chief, despite multiple Tribune Business sources confirming the move.

While the reasons for the switch are unclear, and Mr Kerr remains on the operator's board, Mr Dean said New Providence Ecology Park was now targeting early 2020 to start executing on the land's transformation into green space and the creation of recycling and mulching income streams.

With access to capital "no longer a concern" despite initial investor "apprehension", he added that the landfill operator was also examining its options for addressing "the great risk of fire" posed by the growing mountains of used tyres stockpiled at its Tonique Williams Highway site.

Besides assessing the shredding and export possibilities, Mr Dean said a new weighbridge that will allow New Providence Ecology Park to assess the volume of waste going into the landfill - and enable it to charge appropriate tipping fees to users - should be installed by year-end.

He also revealed that the landfill operator had a team on Abaco investigating the amount of post-Dorian waste that needed to be cleaned up ahead of submitting a report to the Government and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in the next few days.

Hinting at New Providence Ecology Park's interest in participating in storm clean-up and waste disposal, Mr Dean argued that the company's track record in raising finance and sourcing the necessary equipment made it a candidate to assist with the Government's plans.

"Things are progressing well," he told Tribune Business of the company's efforts. "We've been successful in suppressing fires, and it's the first time in decades that we've not had a fire in the summer. That's a remarkable accomplishment.

"That's the first goal and the rest will follow. If some people hold the view that it's not happening in a timely manner, it's something the general public - particularly the surrounding communities - can appreciate. We have delivered the first charge and are now preparing to go to the next level.

"Our next step would be to begin the process of converting the whole area into green space, and then using much of that garbage to convert it into a meaningful income with recycling and mulching," Mr Dean continued.

"We are sourcing the necessary equipment, we are negotiating space, and are in discussions on where to put a recycling facility. All of these things take time to make decisions on and come out of the ground. I can assure you that by the year-end we will have decided on the way forward, and come January you will see some steps being made in execution of these decisions."

Mr Dean said New Providence Ecology Park's "next thrust" will be to source equipment that it can purchase and own, rather than lease, in the belief it will gain "better serviceability and efficiency in its operations", as well as tackling the growing stockpile of used tyres at the landfill site.

Tribune Business has seen pictures of these growing piles, and Mr Dean said the landfill operator would likely shortly purchase a tyre shredding machine or two "to reduce the stockpile consistently and reduce the great risk of fire".

He added that recycling and export opportunities appeared to be "limited" and "minimal", but required greater investigation. The Bahamas' tendency to rely on steelbelt tyres made progress in this area especially challenging as the steel first had to be removed from the tyres.

"We have to find a receiver on the outside to take this type of tyre from us," Mr Dean said. "We have begun to research if there is a use for those tyres in the US, Asia and Canada, but it all depends on the cost and if there is a market, and if there is a way to send it to the market.

"The challenge with exporting is the cost of getting it to the final destination. That's something we have to go to the Government to get support on, but that's where we're heading: Looking at both solutions. We've taken on these challenges and have to see it through.

"It's important the general public appreciates what we're doing. We could go full steam and back up if we don't get things right. We'd rather slow it down and not miss a step. We may take some criticism for not moving fast, but we want to be comfortable that when we move we've covered all the ground and there are no missteps."

Mr Dean added that New Providence Ecology Park was "on target pretty much" with its financial performance, although he did not provide details. He confirmed that the landfill operator was continuing to "renovate" the sewage pool, currently overseen by the Water & Sewerage Corporation, into which the contents of all New Providence septic tanks currently go.