SWMCOL head concerned of smoke effect on Beetham, Sea Lots

CHIEF Executive Officer of the Solid Waste Management Company (SWMCOL) Kevin Thompson said he is concerned about the effects of the fire at the Beetham landfill on nearby communities. He said it is time to change how garbage is disposed of, particularly at that landfill.

Thompson was a guest on the TV6 Morning Edition programme on Friday when he made those comments.

“I'm very concerned. Communities that are close to the landfill and wider Port of Spain area, we are very concerned about the impacts, the potential impacts of any adverse events at the landfill.

"We are very concerned and it's a priority to change all our normal operations now, stop them and try to eliminate this hazard as quickly as possible.”

He added that the landfill is managed in such a way so as to limit fires, claiming the major fire at the landfill was in 2014.

Asked about the sustainability of having a landfill so close to the communities, Thompson said that conversation is ongoing with the Ministry of Public Utilities as SWMCOL is simultaneously developing programmes to encourage recycling.

“We cannot continue doing things as we have done them.”

On Thursday, residents of Beetham Gardens said the idea of moving the landfill would mean loss of earnings for salvagers in the community.

Thompson said thanks to the wind direction on Friday morning, smoke from lingering fires at the dump did not blow into neighbouring communities.

On Thursday, the Environmental Management Authority warned of hazardous air quality in Port of Spain as a result of the fire.

Thompson said the fire was now controlled, although it spread from five acres initially to now 10-15 acres. He anticipated that within the next two days the fire will be extinguished.

The Beetham landfill is over 40 years old and stretches across 60 hectares (over 150 acres) of land. It is the largest of the country’s three landfills, Thompson said.