Exxon supplies weighbridge scale to Haags Bosch Landfill

ExxonMobil Guyana came in for plaudits on Wednesday when it handed over a truck weighbridge scale to the Local Government and Regional Development Ministry for use at the Haags Bosch Landfill site aback Eccles, East Bank Demerara.
The handing-over ceremony took place at the landfill, and featured Exxon Country Manager Alastair Routledge. In his address on the occasion, Routledge spoke of the importance of the scale in environmental management.
He also noted that ExxonMobil Guyana has conducted a “cradle to grave” waste analysis study which was approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in September. The company has since submitted to the EPA a comprehensive waste management plan for review.

“ExxonMobil Guyana and its prime contractors continue to implement a number of steps to minimise the generation of waste, including recycling and reuse where appropriate,” Routledge indicated.
“Hazardous and non-hazardous wastes generated by the various offshore operations are appropriately treated and stored on board then later transported onshore for further treatment and disposal in accordance with applicable Guyana regulations and guidelines, as well as international conventions.”
Local Government and Regional Development Minister Nigel Dharamlall was also on hand during the ceremony. He lauded Exxon for the presentation of the scale, noting that for some time the Ministry’s weighbridge has not been functional.
Dharamlall also revealed that the Haags Bosch Landfill takes in 450 metric tonnes of solid waste per day and has had $550 million invested in it for the year. The sheer volume of waste means that the landfill has to be extended.
“The weighbridge is quite a significant investment in the Haags Bosch Sanitary Landfill facility. For quite a while, our weighbridge has not been working and we are very grateful for this intervention,” the Minister expressed.
“(This facility) is the only one of its kind in the country. And it’s a facility that is way beyond its capacity. We have recently established a second cell, which expands the capacity of the facility. And, hopefully in due course, we are able to move across Guyana to pursue these types of investments.”
It was only this year that the $290 million cell two was commissioned at the landfill. After cell one had almost reached its optimum capacity, a $290 million contract for cell two was awarded in 2019 to S Jagmohan Hardware Supplies and Construction Services. Now, capacity at the landfill has been boosted to support the influx of waste that is generated.
One solution to the influx of waste is waste-to-energy conversion. Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest) Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr Peter Ramsaroop had previously said that this initiative is one that has registered significant investor interest.
Waste-to-energy projects involve plants that burn solid waste and generate electricity. According to Dr Ramsaroop, this can be considered a form of renewable energy. He also explained that when it comes to opportunities for waste to energy, both local and foreign investors have expressed an interest.
Last December, it was announced that a United States-based company called the Hoskinson Group had held talks with the Government of Guyana and Private Sector officials to develop a waste-to-energy project locally.
The company had announced that it was conducting a feasibility study and would be submitting a proposal to the authorities for consideration. Among the agencies the company held discussions with were GO-Invest, the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA), the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) and the EPA. A tour was also done of the Haags Bosch Landfill. (G3)