The Guanapo Landfill Remediation Project is one of several components of the Global Environmental Facility (GEF 5558) Regional Project. UNIDO selected the Guanapo Landfill to execute a demonstration site remediation project with the overall aim of improving the environment in the community; mitigating environmental influences of the landfill and move toward sustainable site operation and remediation. This specific activity under the project is funded by the Global Environment Facility to the tune of US $650,000.00.
Due to its location between two tributaries of the Guanapo River (the El Cedro Stream and the Maturita River), the Guanapo Landfill was selected for this region’s demonstration project. It will serve as a template for introducing and transferring international good practice and knowledge on similar site assessments, closures and remediation activities in small island developing states and countries with economies in transition. During December 2020, a cross-functional team of international and local environmental experts from the Ministry of Planning and Development and other environmental agencies, collected samples for testing the levels of contaminants at the landfill and in the surrounding areas with the aim of mitigating against potential health and environmental hazards.
The first phase of the activity conducted at Guanapo forms part of the implementation of an Environmental Risk Management Plan to manage the Guanapo Landfill’s impact, and to recommend areas of improving the site model, especially as it relates to contamination in the leachate, surrounding water courses and the groundwater.
As part of the regional project, officially entitled “Development and Implementation of a Sustainable Management Mechanism for Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in the Caribbean” a Remediation Plan was developed for the landfill to minimize any negative impacts on the highly sensitive area and to gradually
An Environmental Risk Management Plan (ERMP) and a Leachate Treatment System (LTS) form part of the Remediation Plan. The ERMP is expected to be completed in October 2021 while the LTS is scheduled for execution in 2022
“Get into Green” is more than a call to action. It is both a precept and a promise.
The promise is that of a greener tomorrow for the benefit of all when we “Get into Green”.