The proposal to close the Beetham and Guanapo dumps, announced in Parliament by the Minister of Public Utilities is a move in the right direction, but raises serious questions. Is moving the activities of two poisonous public health hazards to a third site (which is equally hazardous) any solution at all? What else has our Government planned to implement in this regard? Has there been any public consultation to allow stakeholders the opportunity to participate and contribute on this issue?
For years, FFOS has advocated for better municipal waste management, citing scientific evidence which proves that not only are the leachate and the smoke from these dump’s fires toxic, but when improperly disposed, the materials added to the dump pose serious threats to human and ecosystem life and health as well.
We fear that the proposal to expand the Forres Park dump will further sacrifice the health of the vulnerable Springvale, Claxton Bay and Forres Park communities, while squandering tax payer’s dollars and fuelling our steady ascent on the world corruption index.
Have we not learned our lesson? What we need is not a mere re-shuffling of our current practices, but standardised waste management facilities, administered in a transparent and accountable manner, which make efficiency, resource re-use and public health a priority.
We must change the way we view waste. Waste is an energy resource which can stimulate economic growth.
In the developed world waste reduction, recycling and reuse offer great opportunities for employment, foreign exchange savings, export revenue, the creation of new markets, improvements in environmental quality and linkages with agriculture through the production of non-fossil fertiliser from digested organic wastes.
Why has each successive cabinet bypassed the Beverage Containers Bill? Why are there no incentives, subsidised interest rates or tax holidays for a pioneering recycling sector? What are we waiting for?
FFOS is calling on our national representatives in Parliament and our religious leaders to approach this matter with some urgency.
Hold public consultations on policies, investments and best-practice approaches to support better municipal waste management; reconsider site rationalisation away from heavily-populated areas, water aquifers, wetlands and other vital ecosystems; and advertise publicly and openly for tenders for the machinery and equipment to be used on site. If not now, when?
Terrence Beddoe,
President
Gary Aboud,
Corporate Secretary, FFOS