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Minister of the Environment, Dr. Denis Lowe (centre), posing with the recipients of the "Going Green"??awards. (A. Miller/BGIS)??

Tackling the island’s solid waste management programme requires a comprehensive approach from corporate Barbados, communities and recycling companies, as well as government.

This was asserted by Minister of the Environment, Dr. Denis Lowe, who added that his Ministry will continue to ensure that government plays its part.

The Minister was speaking at a ceremony for B’s Recycling, at R.M. General Services, Tudor Bridge, St. Michael, which saw individuals and businesses awarded for their contribution to a greener Barbados.

In his address, Dr. Lowe emphasised that effective solid waste management would continue to be a major focus for the Ministry of Environment, and underscored some of the efforts which would be put into play.

"Our alternative [to the landfill] to date is the construction of a waste-to-energy plant…as part of that whole network, we’re building a new administration building at site for the housing of the Sanitation Service Authority.?? We’re [also] building a leeching plant to collect the leachate as a result of the storage of existing landfill matter.?? We are undertaking a gas-to-energy project to trap the gas at the existing landfill and to convert that into energy as well, which we hope will help power some of the operations at the landfill," the Minister said.

He also explained that, while these projects were of great importance, the landfill still had an important role in the interim and, as such, would continue to be used.

"We’ve started construction on cell four [at the landfill]…the waste-to-energy [project] will take us at least two-and-a half-years to complete construction and to

commission…The existing landfill at Mangrove…is going out of commission very soon… because it’s at its maximum capacity at present.?? It has to go out of commission because the people of Arch Hall were promised for many years that Mangrove would be a thing of the past…

"It has to be closed because of the continued emission of greenhouse gas; and if Barbados is going to be able to benefit from climate change arrangements, in terms of funding of projects and programmes, it has to be able to manage the emission of greenhouse gases," Dr. Lowe noted, adding that this stance would serve the welfare of both the population and the environment.

nekaelia.hutchinson@barbados.gov.bb

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