ST. CROIX — Both entrances to the Mon Bijou bin site remained blocked today after the Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority temporarily closed it late Monday afternoon to conduct repairs and maintenance activities to address safety concerns as the Authority works to level the uneven ground, remove tires, and install a perimeter fence, according to a WMA official.
A WMA enforcement officer blocked one of the entrances with a vehicle, while a bulldozer blocked the other. Enforcement officers will continue to monitor the bin site and block access on a 24-hour basis, working in 12-hour shifts, until the Authority completes the work it is doing, according to Roger Merritt Jr., WMA executive director.
“We’ll keep the public informed as to our progress because obviously, we want to do it as quickly as possible so that we can get the bin site back up and running,” Merritt said, adding that the Authority wants to make sure the area is safe and maintained. “It’s going to be a different experience, so we will continue to put out press releases and inform the public of our progress so they know when it’s going to be reopened.”
The repairs WMA is completing in-house are to the uneven ground that vehicles drive on to access the dumpsters at the site.
“There are areas within the bin site where the ground is uneven, so there’s some significant drop off,” Merritt said, noting the potential for vehicles to get damaged, or people to get injured.
The Waste Management Authority will repair the uneven areas and complete grading of the ground to ensure the surface is level, the executive director said.
The maintenance portion of the work includes hauling tires that have been illegally dumped at the bin site to the Anguilla Landfill. A WMA dump truck was on site today removing tires from the bin site.
“There’s a lot of tires that have been lingering out there, so we’re actually collecting those tires,” Merritt said. “We’re going to take them to the landfill, and then eventually process those and ship them off site.”
The Authority will also transport green waste to the landfill that has piled up at the bin site.
“Green waste is not supposed to be disposed of at our bin sites, so that’s something else we’re going to have to collect,” Merritt said.
While WMA staff work to complete repairs to the surface and remove tires green waste, Merritt said the Authority will work with a contractor to install the perimeter fence.
“We measured the site, so we’re going to put a fence in,” he said. “This is part of our improvements to all the bin sites around the whole entire territory.”
As WMA works to complete its repairs and maintenance activities, heavy equipment has been stationed at the bin site. An excavator and a bulldozer were on site today. The bulldozer was used to block one of the entrances. A WMA enforcement officer blocked the other entrance. A sign has been erected informing the public that the bin site is closed temporarily.
The bin sites at Mon Bijou, Concordia and Cotton Valley will be turned into convenience centers staffed with personnel like the one in Estate Peter’s Rest.
“Those sites are going to be the first convenience centers in the territory that are going to be turned from unmanned bin sites to actual convenience centers, so we're actually very excited about what's happening here in the territory with waste management,” Merritt said.
WMA, which apologized for the inconvenience at the temporarily closed Mon Bijou bin site in a statement, thanked the community in advance for being patient and cooperating. Until it reopens, residents must use the Concordia bin site, Peter’s Rest Convenience Center, or the Anguilla Landfill.
As WMA works to make repairs at the Mon Bijou bin site, the Authority is soliciting proposals for the design and construction to transform the bin sites at Mon Bijou, Concordia and Cotton Valley into convenience centers. Proposals must be submitted electronically on or before August 2 in PDF format bearing the RFP number: RFP-003-C-2024. The request for proposals package is available for review by sending an email with contact information for the respective company to sdavid@viwma.org and mvante@viwma.org.
