Big10:
Think about it..........everyday, containers full of beer, and soda arrive in Nassau, from the USA. I know, as my brother in law runs a import company that brings in groceries, and beer, Everyone drinks soda, and/or beer, so the supply is endless. Containers go back to the US empty. What does the Bahamas export in any great quantity? Nothing. So the cost of the containers will be low, as the shipping companies would rather get something, rather than nothing, for the return trip.
Equipment?
One flat bed truck, to haul the plastic barrels full of cans from the hotels and bars, to the crusher, and a fork lift to place the barrels, strapped to skids, into the container, and a heavy duty scale to weigh each barrel, to calculate the total weight of the materials being shipped to the USA. Not a huge amount of an investment, is it? All of the shipment is recyclable. the cans, the plastic barrels, and the wood skids.
Jim. B


What sort of volume (tons / day) would have to be generated to justify a program like that?

Capital cost of the trucks, barrels, facility, etc
+ salaries and corp overheads
+ processing, shipping & disposal...

It's the sort of thing where you'd probably have to include outisland sources brought into Nassau by mailboat. Old cars, cans, bottles, paper, etc. At least the mailboats would have some cargo for the return leg of their voyage.

What sort of volume (tons / day) would have to be generated to justify a program like that?
Capital cost of the trucks, barrels, facility, etc
+ salaries and corp overheads
+ processing, shipping & disposal...
It's the sort of thing where you'd probably have to include outisland sources brought into Nassau by mailboat. Old cars, cans, bottles, paper, etc. At least the mailboats would have some cargo for the return leg of their voyage.



Yep. This venture could do a good job of increasing the shipping tonnage of the mailboats. That would put money in the pockets of more Bahamians (dock workers, sailors, those collecting the items, the workers at the sorting plant).

I STILL say Jim should put this in Freeport. They REALLY need it.

Casual observer:

Lets start small, shall we?

A container a week with 15 tons of aluminium cans, at $1,000. USD a ton.

No cars, no bedsprings, no cast iron.

The idea is to make it a enduring business, not a flash in the pan.

There are other high value scrap items, that can be collected and sent on for recycling in the USA, such as automotive catalytic convertors, and oxygen sensors from cars.

Cats can be worth over a hundred dollars each as scrap, from a large car with a v8 engine, because they contain Gold, Platinum, and Rhodium crystals, that can be refined in a special process by companies in the USA. Rhodium is worth 3 times what gold is worth, about $1400 a OUNCE this week.

Jim B.

Sunny John:

It is early days yet, but I tend to think that Nassau is a more central location for a collection depot, bearing in mind that the mailboats all come there, for their return runs. It is the place where incoming containers arrive to be unloaded, before transhipment to , for example, Abaco or Exuma.

Jim B.

Casual observer:
Lets start small, shall we?
A container a week with 15 tons of aluminium cans, at $1,000. USD a ton.
No cars, no bedsprings, no cast iron.
The idea is to make it a enduring business, not a flash in the pan.
There are other high value scrap items, that can be collected and sent on for recycling in the USA, such as automotive catalytic convertors, and oxygen sensors from cars.
Cats can be worth over a hundred dollars each as scrap, from a large car with a v8 engine, because they contain Gold, Platinum, and Rhodium crystals, that can be refined in a special process by companies in the USA. Rhodium is worth 3 times what gold is worth, about $1400 a OUNCE this week.
Jim B.


How much for potcakes? The Bahamas is RICH with potcakes?!

How much for potcakes? The Bahamas is RICH with potcakes?!

Ole' boy is talking serious bidness and you messin' around. :D

(I on da ground laughing though! ROFL! Da' US would send our potcakes right back since dey too unruly and refuse to be recycled! Da potcake dog and da cockroach- two things that will survive the nuclear winter! LOL!)

Jim, go for it. We need industry and anything that gets all that garbage off the roads. helps the palanet AND makes money gets my support!

I say go for it, but as mentioned before in many other threads, I doubt the government, any of them, will ever take it serious.

Get your calculator out and run the numbers. 15 tons is alot.

How much cans is that approximately?

Whats is average consumption per household, per hotel per crusie ship

Would love to see the numbers for the bahamas.

Ole' boy is talking serious bidness and you messin' around. :P
(I on da ground laughing though! ROFL! Da' US would send our potcakes right back since dey too unruly and refuse to be recycled! Da potcake dog and da cockroach- two things that will survive the nuclear winter! LOL!)
Jim, go for it. We need industry and anything that gets all that garbage off the roads. helps the palanet AND makes money gets my support!


I had to capitalize on the misspelling. It was too good to let it go by. Bunting obviously didn't think it was funny though...

Serious business doesn't really belong here. Do market research with the good people on BI, but don't consider it serious business!

I am interested, though. It solves a few problems such as landfill usage, environmental responsibilty, litter, and a few jobs.

I agree that it should be a small start, but projected for expansion as all the inhabited islands suffer from each of the above issues. A network of Bahamian entrepeneurs could easily feed the flow of recyclable materials to either Nassau or GBI through the mailboat system, although GBI is a little harder logistically.

Where is the material off-loaded in the US? Miami, Ft. Pierce, Jacksonville?
Would the on-island plant crush/shred recyclables before shipment? Lots of air in the container if not...

See? I can try to be serious sometimes...

I say go for it, but as mentioned before in many other threads, I doubt the government, any of them, will ever take it serious.


Tha's all right. If da' gubment don't take it serious den the MP's won't be asking for a cut!

Jim let me know where to drop off my recycleables! I hope you and our wife are very successful.

Tha's all right. If da' gubment don't take it serious den the MP's won't be asking for a cut!
Jim let me know where to drop off my recycleables! I hope you and our wife are very successful.

man yall too optimistic :D
Thats a good thing, if one is a minister of something in the government ..
otherwise, me, i'm tired of wishing for better now :(

You really want a money maker,
Just collect all of the oil from all the chicken shack and mcdonalds in nassau. Stockpile it, set up a biodiesel plant.
Then get government to ban all cars on the island that dont run on biodiesel,
You would be rich,
The Race is On!


I thought of this one too, very good idea. Anyone have any start-up money

I had to capitalize on the misspelling. It was too good to let it go by. Bunting obviously didn't think it was funny though...
Serious business doesn't really belong here. Do market research with the good people on BI, but don't consider it serious business!
I am interested, though. It solves a few problems such as landfill usage, environmental responsibilty, litter, and a few jobs.
I agree that it should be a small start, but projected for expansion as all the inhabited islands suffer from each of the above issues. A network of Bahamian entrepeneurs could easily feed the flow of recyclable materials to either Nassau or GBI through the mailboat system, although GBI is a little harder logistically.
Where is the material off-loaded in the US? Miami, Ft. Pierce, Jacksonville?
Would the on-island plant crush/shred recyclables before shipment? Lots of air in the container if not...
See? I can try to be serious sometimes...


I know for a fact that West Palm Beach has several recycling locations a few blocks from the Port of Palm Beach. Tropical Shipping trucks drive by them minute after minute and thier office is next door to a recycling plant.

Do you have any more info on aluminum can recycling Jim?