(Antigua Sun) – Management and staff of the Antigua and Barbuda Waste Recycling Corporation (A&BWRC) have been left baffled following what appeared to have been an arson attempt on the facility Wednesday night. Project Manager of the non-profit A&BWRC Carol-Faye George said that sometime during the night someone apparently aimed a home-made bomb at flammable material located in the Powell’s Industrial Park facility.

She said that at the regular opening time of 7 a.m. yesterday morning, the remains of a plastic bottle filled with a piece of cloth and an accelerant was discovered lying on the floor of the facility, near some boxes of books and other reading material.

She believes if it was not for a receptacle bin near the site, the bottle would have connected with the intended target and a fire would have started, as there was no damage other than a circle of char fanning out from the remains of the bottle. Nothing was taken.

George said, “We believe the person stood outside the window, there’s a louver missing, and put their hand through with the object. But the object is light. It was a plastic bottle, so it hit on this receptacle bin and fell to the floor. If it had hit the boxes, or even plastics, it would have caused tremendous damage in here.”

The Project Manager said that they do not have any suspicions as to who might be responsible for the action, as there have been no threats to this effect made in the past.

She said the corporation is now putting security measures in place to prevent a recurrence. Missing louvers are being replaced and there are steps to have APUA install a light in the yard.

There will also be a security detail for the premises. In the meanwhile, George said that the police have promised to patrol the area more closely. In February 2008, the only computer, which contained all the records for the facility, was taken.

The corporation is a project of the Rotary Club of Antigua Sundown, and was opened in 2005, becoming Antigua’s first plastic and aluminium recycling facility.