After some difficulty, the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) has its new waste compactor, which is intended to reduce the amount of waste in the landfill that has become overused in a short time.

General Manager Denise Roberts said the authority went through many administrative struggles to even get it delivered.

Sources have told the Antigua Sun that although the compactor arrived in the port on 18 July, the NSWMA was not able to get it cleared until this month.

The delay of the release was caused by a requirement to pay Antigua Barbuda Sales Tax (ABST) on the importation, even though all the required documentation had been presented beforehand for the waiver of that tax.

The difficulties have been worked out and Roberts said that a commissioning ceremony for the compactor is being planned in the coming weeks.

The Caterpillar 816F series 2 Landfill Compactor is popularly used in Canada and the United States (US) for managing landfills. It was purchased new from RIMCO based in Puerto Rico, the Caterpillar agent for the Caribbean, and comes with full warranty.

Although the price was not revealed, Roberts said, “It is one of a kind in this region and only those taking waste management to the next level would consider this machine.”

Roberts said they have already earmarked personnel to handle the machine and they will be trained by RIMCO personnel, who will be on island for the commissioning ceremony.

This particular machine is said to be appropriate for landfills of low waste tonnage, such as that which is produced in a small island state.

Garbage compactors compress waste so that more of it can be stored in the same space, to make the landfill more stable and to minimise fires.

Roberts said it will not only assist, but alleviate problems at the Cooks Sanitary Landfill and Civil Amenities Site.

The manager said the compactor’s arrival is timely because the cell is almost full, even though it was put into commission less than a year ago. The purchase was recommended by a technical team.

It was originally projected to last seven years; that conclusion, however, was based on research conducted before Antigua’s industrial and population boom. The factors that contributed to the premature filling of the landfill are changed consumer patterns, new industry developments, population growth, increased tourist visitation, and the handling of waste from visiting cruise ships and airlines, which have increased over the years.

“None of that was taken into consideration,” she said.

As it is, the NSMWA has promised to put into operation a variety of waste diversion techniques in order to lengthen the life of the cell and another landfill site has already been earmarked.

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