8 municipal waste collectors sign new contract |10 April 2019

LWMA chief executive Flavien Joubert addressing representatives of the contractors

Eight contractors have signed a six-year contract to undertake municipal waste collection and clean bin sites in various regions of Mahe, Praslin and La Digue.

Representatives of the different municipal waste collection services signed their agreements with Landscape and Waste Management Agency (LWMA) chief executive Flavien Joubert in a short ceremony yesterday morning at the agency’s head office at English River.

This was in the presence of the Minister for Environment, Energy and Climate Change, Wallace Cosgrow, LWMA chairman Aubrey Lucas, among other stakeholders.

The eight contractors started their new tasks on Monday April 8.

The municipal collection services have been divided into regions and a contractor has been awarded only one region to empty and clean bin sites in the districts as the tendering condition was for only one contractor for one region and not more.

On Mahe, the southern region (Anse Royale, Takamaka, Baie Lazare) has been awarded to S&S Cleaning Agency represented by Kathleen Jeanne; northern region (Beau Vallon, Bel Ombre, Glacis, Anse Etoile) to STAR Seychelles Ltd represented by Davis Uzice; western region (Anse Boileau, Grand Anse Mahe, Port Glaud) to HMR Group represented by Michel Vielle; eastern region (Cascade, Pointe Larue, Anse Aux Pins, Au Cap) to WASTEA represented by Stephen Dupouy; central region (St Louis, Bel Air, Mont Buxton, Ile Persévérance, English River) to Ronny Truck Services represented by Ronny Nicette; and central/east region (Mont Fleuri, Les Mamelles, Plaisance, Roche Caïman) to Dirty Jobs Pump Out Pty Ltd represented by Neddy Legras.

The contract for La Digue region has been awarded to Island Waste Collection represented by Vinton Payet and Grand Anse Praslin region to BS Excavation represented by Barry Souffe.

Initially 10 regions were on tender for municipal waste collection services. The Victoria/Providence Industrial Estate region has been recommended for re-tendering while the Baie St Anne Praslin region is still in the appeal process stage and therefore, according to LWMA, the current contractors on those two sites will continue the cleaning services until such time that new developments in their respective cases are provided.

Before the new agreement, municipal waste collection all over Mahe was carried out by STAR Seychelles Ltd while BS Excavations and Explorer Investments cleaned the bins sites on Praslin and Island Waste Collection cleaned those on La Digue.

Following the end of the 20-year municipal waste collection services contract with STAR Seychelles LTD at the end of 2018, government decided to involve multiple contractors to take part in municipal waste collection.

A tender process started in August 2018 with 29 bidders, including the four outgoing contractors – STAR Seychelles, BS Excavations, Explorer Investments and Island Waste Collection – submitting their bids to the National Tender Board.

Speaking at the gathering, Minister Cosgrow said the engagement of new multiple contractors in the waste collection process represents an evolution in the way the country will undertake waste management in terms of more manpower to clean bin sites regularly amid better maintenance and control.

For his part, Mr Joubert said the LWMA is targeting higher quality service to satisfy the general public, while the only lady contractor, Kathleen Jeanne of S&S Cleaning Agency said she is ready to take up that challenge and will do her utmost to make sure the community bin sites are kept clean at all times.

As for Barry Souffe, whose company was re-awarded the cleaning contract for Grand Anse Praslin, he has appealed to members of the public to use bin sites wisely and not to dump anything anywhere around bin sites. He further urged the public to dispose of waste destined for landfill at the landfill and not at bin sites.