By S.Browne. Updated 9:20 a.m., Friday, August 7, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).
The expansion of the Bequia landfill could extend the site’s lifespan by as much as 15 years, according to Prime Minister Dr Godwin Friday, who says the work forms part of a wider effort to improve waste management and strengthen the island’s resilience following Hurricane Beryl.
Speaking during a visit to the site, Friday said the expansion is being carried out under the Government’s Recovery and Resilience Project in collaboration with British investor Ian Wace. The initiative includes the removal and compaction of scrap metal, old appliances and other debris collected from communities across Bequia.
“As a private developer, Mr Wace, he’s offered to continue some of the work he was doing in the Southern Grenadines,” Friday said.
He explained that the project involves clearing and grading additional land to accommodate more waste while extending the operational life of the existing landfill.
“This whole area here was graded, you know, brought down, and here, extending it further back so that it can accommodate more garbage and essentially extend the life of the dump for, let’s say, 10, 15 years, let’s hope longer. Because we don’t have any other site to put a dump here in Bequia,” the Prime Minister said.
Friday said residents have been bringing discarded galvanise, old refrigerators, stoves and other metal materials to collection points across the island, where they are transported to the landfill to be crushed and stored.
He noted that the initiative is also part of efforts to reduce potential hazards during hurricanes by removing loose materials that could become dangerous projectiles during storms.
“This is part of the Recovery and Resilience Project because we’re preparing to make sure that if you have hurricanes and so forth, there’s less stuff to be flying around to cause damage and injury,” Friday said.
The Prime Minister said the process has helped to address a major waste disposal challenge by reducing the volume of material being stored at the site.
“We have essentially taken care of a very big waste disposal problem because now it’s a much more condensed, smaller footprint and we will figure out how to dispose of it permanently,” he said.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Disaster Management and Immigration St. Clair Leacock also praised the progress of the project, describing it as an important environmental improvement for Bequia.
“They’ve really done very, very good work here and we’ll continue,” Leacock said.
He added that the expansion would provide long-term benefits for the island.
“Over and beyond that is the fact that this gives the dump another 30 years or so lifespan, which is important,” Leacock said. “But in addition to that, it’s environmentally more acceptable and it’s improved the aesthetics of the area tremendously.”
The landfill works form part of the wider Recovery and Resilience Project, which officials say is aimed at supporting post-Hurricane Beryl recovery while strengthening communities against future natural disasters.
END