Member of Parliament for St. George North, Gline Clarke (second from right), as he chaired the meeting at the Church of God in Salters, St. George. Seated with him are (from left), Jeffrey Headley, former director of the Environmental Protection Department; Anderson Cherry, CEO of Project Recycle and operator of the controversial Quarry Reduce Ltd. facility in Lower Estate; and concerned resident, Roger Craig, who helped to convene the meeting.
Frustrated residents situated in the environs of the Lower Estate Quarry, as they gathered at the Church of God in Salters, St. George to outline their many health challenges and protest the action being carried out at the facility, which has now become a garbage dump.
“Shut it down!”
This is the unanimous appeal St. George residents are making to Anderson Cherry, operator of the Quarry Reduce Ltd. facility in Lower Estate, given the noxious smoke and offensive odour constantly emanating from burning refuse at the site, which they say has been the source of many of their recurrent health problems over the last few months.
Residents of Lower Estate, Salters, Airy Hill, Parish Land, Flat Rock in St. George and surrounding communities have made it publicly known that their health and quality of life is being affected by Cherry’s business, and they remain adamant in their call for its closure, noting that what was once an abandoned quarry, has now been turned into an offensive dump.
Anderson Cherry, the man at the centre of the controversial operation, bore the brunt of the fury of angry residents, during a recent town hall meeting convened at the Church of God in Salters, St. George. The meeting was chaired by Member of Parliament for St. George North, Gline Clarke and scores of frustrated residents, including prominent persons such as former general manager of the Barbados Water Authority, Dr. John Mwansa; medical practitioner Dr. Carlos Chase; economist Dr. Avinash Persaud; and Opposition Member of Parliament for St. Joseph, Dale Marshall, voiced their concerns about the dump, which has been the cause of numerous asthma attacks and other respiratory flare-ups. Residents have also reported various health challenges such as itchy skin, sore throats, a nauseated stomach, constant coughs and burning sensations in the eyes, nose and on the lips.
What’s more, Dr. Mwansa has raised concerns about a possible threat to the groundwater supply, due to the operation of the dump, as Cherry could not say exactly what is being ferried to the dump, except to classify it as “demolition waste”.
“There are two issues (of concern) from the operations in the Quarry. One is the air pollution, which is the same smell you are picking up. The threat to the groundwater is the second one,” Dr. Mwansa commented, noting that he too is constantly nauseated by the smell.
“Something has to be done. A deal is a deal. The deal was it was (supposed to be) temporary. So shut it and move on,” Dr. Chase meanwhile asserted.
Seeking to calm the group, Cherry later announced, “First I want to apologise to all the residents for the discomfort and inconvenience that we have caused. As CEO of Project Recycle, I take full responsibility for everything that has happened and we will fix it.”
This was not enough to appease residents however and as Cherry sought to outline his vision to take Barbados to a position of zero-waste someday, residents queried whether the Lower Estate facility is operating legally. Officials invited from the Town and Country Development Planning Office and the Environmental Protection Department were not on hand to answer.
At the close of the meeting, it was decided that a committee would be formed to ensure Cherry works at eliminating the burning garbage at the site as a first priority and residents are to have a follow-up session to further thrash out the way forward. (RSM)