The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

A Cabinet Minister yesterday said the Government was preparing to move “full steam ahead” with both the privatisation of operations at the New Providence landfill and “fine tuning” its remediation plan.

Speaking with Tribune Business ahead of a Cabinet meeting, Kenred Dorsett, minister of the environment and housing, said a meeting was held late last week at the Prime Minister’s Office (OPM) on the landfill management issue.

“There was a meeting at the OPM late last week on that issue. We do know that our engineers are now revising the plans,” Mr Dorsett said.

“Due to the fire some things have to change in terms of what we do, and they are preparing documentation now which will assist us in being able to move full steam ahead - not just with the privatisation of the operations but to fine tune the remediation plan. That’s going to be important.”

Mr Dorsett added: “Operations alone is not going to solve that problem. Remediation is an important component, too. It ensures that the environmental degradations that have taken place for decades are halted and addressed.

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 indicated 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.