Government has outlined contingency plans in the event of a Tynes Bay breakdown.

Minister of Works and Engineering, Derrick Burgess, announced the measures yesterday in the House of Assembly. They consist of a Short Term Contingency Plan for outages of between four weeks and three months; a Long Term Disaster Recovery Plan; and an Emergency Contingency Plan.

In the short term, Government is considering purchasing equipment which will shred and bale waste in plastic, ready for later incineration. In the longer term, municipal solid waste could be shipped overseas to facilities on the US East Coast.

Mr. Burgess said up to 250 tons of waste are deposited at Tynes Bay daily, facilitating the use of both incineration streams. Government plans to install a third stream to meet the growing needs of the Island.

Yesterday, the Minister said that work associated with this expansion, as well as routine maintenance, systems upgrades and mechanical breakdowns, could "lead to shutdowns of more than a four-week duration".

He said: "There is the clear need, therefore, for contingency plans to accommodate the disposal of municipal solid waste in the event that the Tynes Bay Waste Treatment Facility is unable to process waste in the short term, the long term and in an emergency situation."

The Short Term Contingency Plan involves "shredding and wrapping the refuse in plastic, and storage in the Contingency Yard, followed by incineration at a later date".

"The system is portable and will also provide desirable back-up to the grinders at the Marsh Folly horticultural site and for the Bulky Shear for wood and bulky waste at the Tynes Bay facility," said Mr. Burgess.

He said that the lack of such equipment in the past had led to "the stockpiling of refuse in the Tipping Hall during plant outages". Earlier this year during a maintenance outage, a fire started in the Tipping Hall next to the Refuse Bunker.

Mr. Burgess said: "This stockpiling of waste is a high-risk practice that makes quenching a refuse bunker fire extremely difficult and as such the risk of an emergency plant outage rises significantly.

"We believe that the risk-filled practice of stockpiling waste will be rendered obsolete once the required baling and shredding equipment is in place."

However, the Ministry will first run a pilot to ensure the European equipment is suitable for Bermuda, ahead of "committing to the capital cost of the equipment".

The Long Term Disaster Recovery Plan will take place in the event of major plant loss — such as a natural disaster or fire, and involves shipping waste overseas. "Because of the intricate logistics involved in an option of this nature, the Ministry of Works and Engineering has retained the services of a consultant to investigate its feasibility," said Mr. Burgess.

"Initial feedback indicates that there are jurisdictions on the East Coast of the United States that would be willing to receive municipal solid waste from Bermuda. "Initial feedback from the US Federal Government indicates that in some circumstances, permission would likely be granted for Bermuda to export municipal solid waste to the United States.

"The waste would have to be either containerised for shipment or baled and shipped. We are awaiting a full evaluation of the cost of such an option."

The Emergency Contingency Plan will take place in the event of "immediate loss of the Tynes Bay plant", and will use landfill until alternative arrangements can be made — such as overseas shipment.

Mr. Burgess said: "The Government fully recognises the potential environmental impact of employing landfill and emphasises that such a course of action will be pursued only in the case where there is absolutely no alternative."

Waste will be "compacted" and "covered" each day to minimise odour, vector and litter.

Mr. Burgess said: "The Ministry will continue to explore viable options whereby the Island is fully protected in the event of system failures."