In 2019, the New Providence Ecology Park (NPEP) embarked on a massive undertaking, to remediate the landfill site, notoriously known as "the dump" by controlling the issue of mounting waste and employing sustainable solutions to transform this vital ecosystem. Five years later, NPEP has made significant strides towards environmental sustainability, commemorating its fifth anniversary with an extensive list of achievements in waste management and ecological restoration in The Bahamas.
Under the leadership of NPEP, over 100,000 loads of construction and demolition waste have been recycled, alongside the processing of more than 1.2 million tires through shredding and baling techniques. The organization's efforts have not only mitigated environmental hazards but also fostered a culture of sustainability among Bahamian citizens.
"When NPEP inherited the site, we inherited a legacy issue,” states NPEP Chairman, Felix Stubbs. “The site was previously a hazardous landscape that posed serious environmental and health risks, contributing to air and water pollution and affecting the quality of life for nearby residents. Today, Bahamians have a functional facility which handles and manages their waste in a safe and sustainable way. We are very proud to say that the landfill is truly no longer a dump. We're changing the narrative around waste management, and we’re doing so from the inside out." To date, NPEP has trained its more than 75 Bahamian team members in all aspects of solid waste and hazardous material management, and it is this skilled team that successfully executes NPEP's daily operations, ensuring the organization's commitment to environmental sustainability and community safety is met.
A critical component of NPEP's success includes the elimination of uncontrolled fires, a persistent challenge that the Pan American Health Organization identified as an "urgent public health hazard" in 2017. Through the consolidation, closure, and covering of over 80 acres of open waste, NPEP proudly reports zero uncontrolled fire incidents since 2019.
"When considering the most challenging issues of the previous landfill, fires are frequently at the forefront of residents' concerns. For us, successfully preventing hazardous fires for the past five years represents a pivotal achievement. This accomplishment, along with the resulting benefits like cleaner air and enhanced property values for neighboring residents, signifies a substantial advancement in protecting the health and safety of our community," emphasized Stubbs.
Moreover, NPEP's initiatives have significantly reduced the landfill's carbon footprint, with the creation of over 50,000 cubic yards of compost which has been redeployed as a vegetative layer at the landfill and the diversion of 400,000 cubic yards of organic waste. These efforts have been complemented by an engineered landfill gas system that captures methane gas, a potent greenhouse gas. This has drastically reduced the site’s carbon footprint. “As a small island developing state, it is important to consider how the systems we employ will impact the environment,” said Stubbs. “We have seen the storms increasing in power, we have seen articles of rising sea-level threats, and we have seen the Prime Minister advocate for carbon credits on a global stage -for us at NPEP, minimizing our carbon footprint and emissions was one of our big five-year goals.”
Beyond the tangible improvements at NPEP, such as well-defined roads, a sealed active waste area, organized compost windrows, and engineered ponds for runoff and emergency fire response, a notable addition is the structured residential drop-off zone, a concept nonexistent five years ago. NPEP has since seen over 750,000 customers utilize this facility, effectively sorting their waste for recycling. In 2023, the facility notably processed over 100 tons of glass via a pioneering recycling program. This operational efficiency has significantly reduced health hazards by controlling pests, decreasing mosquito populations, and managing stray dogs.
While these achievements underpin the success of NPEP’s five years in existence, the vision is expansive and there remains a list of future sustainability goals to obtain. In the near future, NPEP looks to build on the methane gas capture and treatment systems to ultimately reduce the Bahamas’ carbon output by an estimated 150,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year. This will coincide with the introduction and development of landfill-gas-to-energy infrastructure to turn captured methane into sustainable power. Land reclaimed by NPEP’s remediation efforts will play a vital role in the organization's future, laying the ground for other sustainability infrastructure.
This will be achieved by increasing organic and food-waste diversion initiatives – partnering with the commercial and public sector to further reduce carbon dioxide generation and increase compost production.
"Our fifth anniversary is not just a milestone but a stepping stone towards greater environmental achievements. Together, we are setting a new standard for waste management and ecological preservation," concluded Stubbs.
About the New Providence Ecology Park (NPEP)
NPEP is a 160-acre landfill driving the movement toward more sustainable, environmentally friendly waste management practices throughout The Bahamas. We are collectively guided by a results-driven culture, using simple, proven strategies appropriate for The Bahamas to deliver stable, consistent, and cost-effective waste management solutions.
