Having been entrusted with the maintenance contract for the Haags Bosch Landfill Site aback of Eccles, East Bank Demerara, Puran Brothers Disposal Inc. has been helping to make a marked improvement. This observation was made following a visit to the site by a high-level team from the Ministry of Communities.
The team was able to meet with representatives of Puran Brothers Disposal Inc. to assess the state of compliance with the standing operational procedures as contained in the contract for the management of the landfill facility.
The company has begun submitting monthly reports to the Site Manager, Lloyd Stanton, and have since established a maintenance record that is on par with the service requirements.
Stanton detailed that Puran Brothers Disposal Inc. has already been operating at 75 percent contractual efficiency.
In addition, the company has displayed a compliance rate of 95 percent in accordance with clauses in the contract as it relates to the equipment required.
Stanton was at the time providing an update on the management of the facility by the disposal company, which is the current sanitation service provider working on the site.
It has been over five months into the contract and Permanent Secretary Emile McGarrell applauded the company on the level of progress so far.
McGarrel informed Puran Brothers that the Ministry intends to have a facility which can be used as a demonstration site and can be replicated at other facilities to be established in all 10 regions.
He noted that the ministry is also committed to ensuring that the site is managed differently from the manner of management that previously existed.
Since the new contractor began operations, the site has never been closed for any reason (emergency or otherwise) and has so far been operating close to optimum.
The contracting company has reported that businesses have been dumping asbestos and smouldering materials at the site. However, appropriate mechanisms have been put in place to detect harmful substances and the errant businesses will soon be written to on account of the violations.
Operations Manager, Rufus Lewis stated that designated areas have also been identified for quarantine of trucks ferrying suspect materials to the dumpsite.
Lewis also disclosed that by the end of this month, seven employees would have been trained to deal with hazardous waste. He mentioned too that Puran Brothers has submitted a draft contingency plan that is currently being vetted and fine-tuned to cater to any eventuality.
Going forward, strict quality control measures will be used to manage the future operations of the site.
All persons entering the compound must be appropriately outfitted with the requisite safety gear. In addition, the roads leading to the site are being paved and there is no concern as it relates to noise, smoke, dust or other types of pollution.
Lewis said that with the daily covers and compaction, the company has managed to eradicate any incidence of rodents burrowing in the cells or cracking the surface.