Government has acquired 16 acres of land at Vaucluse, St Thomas to expand the Mangrove Pond Landfill and to operate a modern waste-to-energy plant as part of its green economy thrust.
Introducing a resolution to approve the compulsory acquisition of the land, which was bought from Eastern Land Development Ltd at a cost of $523 000, Minister of the Environment Dr Denis Lowe said the purchase spoke to Government’s commitment to build out a sustainable integrated solid waste programme to handle and process all forms of solid and liquid waste.
Noting that the effective management of waste was essential to small island developing states like Barbados, Lowe said this country generated 1 000 tonnes of solid waste daily, and this would increase with the rise in the housing stock.
He said Government had therefore decided on a strategy of modern waste management technology at Mangrove and Vaucluse, and this would feature a transition from landfilling to the conversion of waste to energy.
