cards, Works and Engineering Minister Alex Scott told MPs yesterday.

He said: "The future sees the potential of a dock/marina enclosure for arrival and pick-up from the airport by ferry, water shuttle and/or private boat.'' And he added that the airport land reclamation project had added 3.5 acres of land to the airport area -- worth a staggering $2.25 million.

Mr. Scott said: "This is the first time this has been mooted -- the Minister of Transport is putting in place conditions for fast ferries to give people an alternative.

"And the notion of being able to travel to the airport by ferry, especially for tourists, is very attractive.'' He added: "It doesn't make much practical sense with the current ferry system, but if a fast ferry can do it comfortably and quickly, it's viable.'' Mr. Scott was speaking after making a Ministerial statement to the House of Assembly on the current standing of the airport land reclamation scheme.

Airport ferry He said provision of an airport dock depended on the speed at which the land expansion scheme progressed.

But he added: "With the volume of material which is being brought to the dump, it might be realised sooner rather than later.'' Mr. Scott said the ferry plan was part of a long-term scheme to develop an "economic resource'' around the airport, including extra shopping.

He added: "We're protecting the money invested in the airport terminal and trying to develop the entire area.'' Mr. Scott's statement was in reaction to increasing public concern over waste escaping from the land reclamation dump site and washing up on the Castle Harbour shoreline.

But he told MPs that the reclamation scheme was vital to the protection of the low-lying airport and would create a buffer zone to protect it from storms.

Mr. Scott said: "This operation is critical for Bermuda and this fact cannot be over-emphasised.

"The airport represents a most critical economic access link to the rest of the world. This link must be maintained and the protection of the buildings and fields enhanced.'' He added that watchdogs kept an eye on trash to ensure little escaped from the site.

He said: "The active face of the reclamation site is a far smaller area than that which existed in the past, thus making it far less likely that debris will find its way into Castle Harbour.

"However, it must be appreciated that with a strong southeast wind, the likelihood of a small quantity of debris escaping the double barrier is increased.'' And he added: "The Ministry of Works and Engineering commits to the Bermudian public that it will maintain extensive records on any debris that escapes the site indicating where and when this material is collected.

"This will be performed in an effort to demonstrate to the general public that we are performing in a responsible manner and are doing due diligence in our charge.'' Mr. Scott added that bottles which fail to get into the recycling scheme were a problem at the dump -- and at the Tynes Bay incinerator, where damage to equipment has been caused by bottles getting into the waste stream.

But he said he was considering bottle bill legislation, which would mandate refunds on returned glass containers.

Mr. Scott added: "If a bottle bill puts a refund on bottles turned back into the shopkeeper, youngsters and others will have a monetary reason to put these bottles back into the recycling system rather than into the highways and byways.

"It would make Bermuda cleaner and make our operation at Tynes Bay safer, as well as reducing the debris which finds its way into Castle Harbour.'' Mr. Scott said a bottle bill would require consultation with the merchant community -- and admitted not all would be in favour.

But he added that the Ministry would make it clear that trash clean-ups would cost the retailer, whether through a bottle bill or through taxes to pay for more rubbish collection.

Mr. Scott said: "What we will say to them is that they will pay one way or another.''