INTERNATIONAL advertising for a suitably qualified company for construction and operation activities of the proposed sanitary landfill at Haags Bosch, East Bank Demerara, to replace the Mandela dumpsite in Le Repentir, Georgetown, has already commenced, Deputy Mayor Robert Williams said yesterday.

In an invited comment, Williams stated that the site would be developed and operated according to international technical and environmental standards.

In addition, eleven bids were received for the construction of the landfill’s access road design. He noted that the bidding process was closed last March 31 and the evaluation is in progress.

Williams also stated that the evaluation for the rehabilitation, expansion and closing of the Le Repentir landfill was completed.

In addition, preparing designs, bidding documents, cost estimates for rehabilitation, expansion and closure of the Grove/Diamond and Lusignan National Democratic Council (NDC) landfill was also being done.

According to Williams, a site visit was made to the Lusignan dumpsite with contractors in order to correct defects in operation for Environmental Protection Agency compliance.

In an earlier interview, Williams had mentioned that the plan is to have the project funded by an Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) US$18M loan, completed and operational by 2010.

He said the money will facilitate the construction of the facility to dispose of waste in an environmentally friendly manner four kilometres south of the city.

It would also serve 15 surrounding NDC’s for the possible disposal, too, of health care discards and hazardous materials, Mr. Williams had explained.

He said the IDB has been supporting the proposal from its inception and is providing the finance under the Georgetown Solid Waste Management Programme.

Williams said a German company called Hydroplan has already been identified and is doing the consultancy that continues over the next two or three years.

The consultants are working in association with the local firm, CEMCO, and the necessary works to be done by them have begun, he pointed out.

Williams said arrangements are being made for US$1.5M from the loan to create a system for taking care of hazardous waste in this country.

Although the preliminary expectation is January 2010, there has been some variation and the final date will be announced by the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Williams stated.

But he assured there will hardly be any disadvantages to moving the dump, except that it will be operated some four miles from the capital.

However, the advantages include a more organised site that will be operated in the most modern way.

The Mandela landfill was established in 1994 on a 10-acre plot to accommodate refuse primarily from Georgetown, East Coast and East Bank Demerara, and some areas on West Bank and West Coast of Demerara.

By August 20, 2008, though, then Acting Public Relations Officer of the Mayor and City Council (M&CC), Ms. Debra Lewis, declared it had outlived its usefulness and was supposed to have been closed since 2006.