Antigua and Barbuda has taken a significant step toward cleaning up one of its most troubling environmental eyesores, with Cabinet approving a partnership agreement that will see a private company remove, process, and export accumulated scrap metal from the Cooks landfill — at absolutely no cost to the public purse.
Cabinet approved an agreement between the Ministry of Health, Wellness, the Environment and Public Service Affairs and Atlantic Ship Breakers Antigua Limited for the removal, processing, and export of scrap metal from Antigua and Barbuda, with work centred initially on the Cooks landfill. The agreement forms part of the government’s ongoing efforts to improve environmental conditions, enhance public safety, and restore land occupied by accumulated scrap metal and derelict materials.
300-Plus Derelict Vehicles at Cooks Alone
Director General for Communications Maurice Merchant said there are currently more than 300 derelict vehicles at the Cooks landfill.  That figure offers a stark illustration of the scale of the problem — and it represents only the material at a single site. Merchant acknowledged that derelict vehicles remain a widespread problem across the island, noting that one minister had counted at least 43 such vehicles in a small, condensed area of his constituency alone.
The Company’s Responsibilities
Under the terms of the agreement, Atlantic Ship Breakers Antigua Limited will be responsible for mobilising all equipment, personnel, and resources necessary to undertake the project. The company will carry out the removal, processing, compacting, and loading of all identified scrap metal, maintain certified weighing and record-keeping systems, and arrange for the transportation and export of the materials in accordance with applicable laws.
Cabinet was advised that the arrangement will facilitate the clearing and rehabilitation of the site at no direct cost to the government.
Strict Limits on What Can Be Collected
Critically, the agreement does not give Atlantic Ship Breakers a blank licence to roam the island collecting materials. Merchant was explicit that the company’s mandate is strictly limited to materials already in the possession of the government through its removal campaign. “It’s not a case whereby this agreement gives this company the authorisation to go around Antigua and Barbuda in search of scrap material or derelict vehicles,” he said. “They must be in the possession of the government through its removal campaign and then this company will come and remove and ship to the United States.”
Destination: The United States
The processed scrap material will be exported to the United States, with a specific receiving state already identified. “There is already an arrangement on which state the material will go and how the material will be processed, free of charge, no expenses to the government of Antigua and Barbuda,” Merchant confirmed.
Part of a Broader Environmental Programme
Merchant said recycling of other materials, including used tyres, is also part of the Ministry’s broader environmental programme, incorporating the National Solid Waste Management Authority and the Central Board of Health.
The agreement arrives against a backdrop of growing public frustration over the visual blight and environmental hazards posed by derelict vehicles and scrap metal accumulations across Antigua and Barbuda. For communities that have long lived alongside rusting hulks on roadsides, in yards, and at landfill sites, the cleanup cannot come soon enough.
