Public Works Minister, Patricica Gordon-Pamplin, has led tributes to workers at the Tynes Bay facility as the centre marked its 20th anniversary.

Ms Gordon-Pamplin described the facility as a ‘milestone of achievement’ as she presented long service awards to five employees who had worked there since the very beginning.

Alfred Furbert, Cheryl Jones-Stanley, Colvin Manning, Stuart Matthews and Steven Robinson were all praised for their ‘dedication and commitment’ to the facility.

“What has been achieved at Tynes Bay is thoroughly deserving of recognition, however its success today would not have been achieved without its highly committed and long serving staff members, many of whom started their careers at Tynes Bay and have demonstrated their ongoing commitment and professional acumen,” the Minister said.

“Bermuda should be proud to have successfully owned and operated its own Waste-to-Energy plant for twenty years, a milestone of achievement and a testament to the innovative and forward thinking nature of Bermudians.”

The Tynes Bay Waste Treatment Facility officially opened on October 27, 1994.

Before this Bermuda’s garbage was dumped in landfills, most notably the Marsh Folly site in Pembroke.

“Today, this facility manages the disposal of the Island’s some 60,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste annually,” Ms Gordon-Pamplin said.

“This means that since inception the plant has processed close to one and a quarter million tonnes of waste and produced over 400 million kilowatt-hours of electricity through its Waste-to-Energy process.

“That’s enough electricity to power the entire country for a full eight months.

“As a further benefit, the reverse osmosis water plant on North Shore, which has the capacity to produce one million gallons of drinking water per day, is powered entirely by a direct electrical link from Tynes Bay.”

To celebrate its 20th anniversary the Tynes Bay facility will be hosting two open houses on October 11 and 25.

Members of the public should make contact via the government website or telephone 296-0673 for tour reservation details.