By:Curtis Morton
Charlestown-Nevis- Mr. Andrew Hendrickson, Manager at the Nevis Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), was bubbling with excitement on Tuesday 18th July 2017.
That was one day after the significant signing ceremony of a deal between the Nevis Island Administration and the ENCLAVE REOURCES, with the NSWMA being an integral partner in the entire process.
Mr. Hendrickson, in his briefing to the press, explained that the agreement entails a scrap metal and cardboard recycling agreement between the parties involved.
In outlining what the deal would mean to the NSWMA and Nevis as a whole, he stated that in the first instance, there will be a creation of much needed space at the sanitary landfill and a much cleaner Nevis, as a result.
He also pointed to the fact that a lot of cardboard waste is generated on the island on a regular basis, from the supermarkets and hire purchase outlets etc and these will be effectively taken out of the way, as part of the project.
‘Generally, the cardboard is burnt and that process in itself can create additional environmental and health issues, so it will be a plus for us,’ he said.
He explained that the new deal will be done in three phases:
Phase one: Cleaning up all scrap metals and the like at the sanitary landfill
Phase two: Cleaning up scrap metals and the like across the entire island and securing card board for recycling purposes
Phase three: Maintenance and continuity of the program.
Additionally, the signed agreement also contains a clause that will see the NSWMA receiving 7.5 % of the annual returns, which according to Hendrickson, will drastically change the financial landscape of the Authority, which he stated is barely surviving at this time, due to the high cost involved in waste management and disposal.
Just to give an example as to the cost of running the operation, Hendrickson indicated that the cost of one tyre for the big Mac truck, is about $1,500.00. The monthly fuel bill is about $15,000.00 and the bi-weekly salaries and wages for staff is about $50,000.00.
Putting all of that into perspective, small wonder, Hendrickson is thrilled with the new arrangement, which in its initial stage, is valued at about a 3 million dollar investment.
The NSWMA manager, used the opportunity to ask the Nevisian public to cooperate with ENCLAVE and the NSWMA in helping to make Nevis a healthier and cleaner place to live in.