Sanitation Service Authority (SSA) started controlled burning of over 7 000 mattresses at the Mangrove Pond Landfill, St Thomas today.
The operation, which was started around 10:20 a.m., is expected to last three hours and is being done under the guidance of the Barbados Fire Service.
Carl Padmore, public relations officer of the SSA, said there should be no danger or discomfort to residents in surrounding areas, including Arch Hall and Bennetts, as the dark plumes of smoke were billowing upward. He also gave the assurance that no toxins were being released from the fire.
Padmore said there was a test run last week before today’s burning. The SSA will be conducting controlled burning of mattresses twice weekly over the next few weeks. He said the mattresses were collected from places such as the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, nursing homes, areas cleaned by the SSA and private homes.
The PRO said some of the mattresses were soiled with blood, while others contained bed bugs.
Padmore also said SSA had their own water truck on hand. (KG)
