Contractors finally secured for Provo Landfill; New Managers start in March

Dana Malcolm

Staff Writer

#TurksandCaicos, January 19, 2024 – “It’s a good day. It is a day that we have been waiting for for a long time.”

Those were the words coming from Kyle Knowles, Wheeland’s Elected Representative and the Government’s lead on Solid Waste Management for the Turks and Caicos Islands as he spoke during the January 18 press conference, introducing the company expected to fix his constituency’s biggest issue, the Wheeland Dump.

Of TCI Green Ecological Corporation Limited, who secured the $2.9 million contract, he said, “We do count it a pleasure to have new partners on the ground with us– in order to get it right we needed to find the right partners. We needed to make sure that in executing we dotted all our I’s and crossed all our T’s and got value for dollar.”  he stressed, .

The Member of Parliament, who lives in Wheeland, has first hand experience of the years of horrors – just like all of the other residents – of the smoke, smell, and proximity of the Providenciales Landfill, aka, the Dump.

With the onboarding of TCI Green Ecological, that should change, or so the MP hopes.

“The environmental hazards, health risks, and all of the things that have concerned you are shortly going to be addressed and to my estimation, alleviated once and for all.” he continued “We do understand that patience was running thing but again bear with us as we– move forward to reforming solid waste in the TCI.”

As head of the Solid Waste Taskforce, Knowles thanked Ministry of Health technocrats for their work and referenced the ongoing Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) Solid Waste Consultation which is about 60 percent complete.

“Upon Completion, the CDB will provide a comprehensive tender of a solid waste management building design for the Turks and Caicos. Again, where we are right now is addressing the short and medium challenges that plague us at the Provo dump site,” he continued “We have to deal with the current issues and manage the medium issues while we look to the long-tern issues and I think it’s important for us to internalize it and make sure that this government sees it through.”

Shaun Malcolm, TCI Minister of Health, was also at the event and explained what the waste numbers looked like locally.

“As of April 2019, the Department estimates a daily solid waste production of approximately 335 tons a day. However, the site, covering approximately 66 acres, has the potential for expansion to accommodate the growing waste management needs of our community,” he said.

The hiring of TCI Green Ecological Corporation Limited ends a six year gap where there was no dedicated manager for the landfills in both Providenciales and Grand Turk.  This new deal, to the disappointment of some residents, will not include Grand Turk.

Minister Malcolm did however mention an upcoming recycling partnership between the government and Carnival Cruises for the Capital, which is also distressed by the long standing issues attached to poor solid waste management there.

The new contractors will take over the Providenciales Landfill on March 5.