The Beetham Landfill was shut down for most of yesterday, after police were called in to investigate whether an explosive device had been dumped there.
At the end of the exercise, however, the suspicious package turned out to be a box of fireworks that was discarded after going past its expiration date.
According to reports, around 10 am a scavenger at the facility told Solid Waste Management Company (SWMCOL) officials that he saw a box marked “Highly Explosive” being offloaded from a garbage truck. Officers of the Explosive Detection and Disposal Unit (EDDU) and from the T&T Defence Force (TTDF) Demolition Team were dispatched to investigate and the landfill was temporarily closed to the public.
The package was removed and taken to the Fire Service headquarters at Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain where, it was examined.
When a news team visited the landfill around 11 am the gates were closed and drivers of garbage trucks were ordered to turn away. The fireworks were eventually taken to the TTDF base in Tucker Valley, Chaguaramas, where they were disposed of.