United States, says the Ministry of Works & Engineering.

The metal waste could be shipped on barges that are expected to start bringing gravel to Bermuda as the Government quarry runs dry.

The Ministry and private firms have been holding behind the scenes talks to arrange such a deal, which would provide solutions to two pressing problems: The huge volume of metals being taken to the Airport dump since Marsh Folly closed, and resulting concerns about pollution of Castle Harbour; and Diminishing supplies and the increasingly poor quality of Bermuda aggregate used for road construction.

Rather than returning empty, ocean-going barges could take a load of metals to the United States for recycling, officials reason.

Since closing the Pembroke Dump earlier this year, Government officials have been stunned by the volume of heavy wastes being trucked to the Airport landfill, which has increased more than tenfold.

Handling of the waste at the Airport has led to more concerns about pollution from motor oils, battery acids, and other toxics, as well as floating debris.

And Mr. Nelson Hunt, the contractor who operates the Airport landfill, has expressed concern about how quickly the waste is filling the harbour.

Metal recyclers in the States would accept the heavy waste, but until now the cost of shipping has been considered prohibitive.

The need for imported crushed stone used for making concrete, called aggregate, could soften the cost of exporting metal waste, an official said.

"There are a lot of logistics that have to be worked out,'' said East End Asphalt Co. Ltd. president Mr. Nathaniel Holder, whose company has been importing material since 1971, and who has been involved in talks with Government.

"It's not a cut and dried situation,'' he said. Bringing aggregate by barge would be slower and costlier than by a conventional ship. And since it was unlikely the centre sending the gravel could also use the steel, "there's going to be lost time when the ship or barge goes from where it discharged one to pick up the other''.

Government chief highway engineer Mr. David Woodward said the Works & Engineering quarry at Bailey's Bay has only about five more years of useful life. As the quarry gets worked out, the stone is softer because it has more clay in it.

"The quality is not what it could be, and natural limestone is not a good aggregate for building roads, anyway,'' he said. "By the year end, I hope we will be importing aggregate ourselves. It's definitely the way of the future.'' Aggregate shortage The Ministry had been in talks with the Asphalt Institute in the United States and was moving toward using an imported aggregate to make cold-mix asphalt.

Some would soon be tested on the access road to the Ministry's quarry. He believed the cost, delivered to Bermuda, would be comparable, while the improved quality would result in much longer-lasting roads.

Meanwhile, planning director Mr. Brian Rowlinson hit out yesterday at Mr. Hunt for blaming the Planning Department for his inability to drain and flatten cars at his Toddings Quarry site in Warwick.

On Tuesday, Mr. Hunt said a dispute over access had kept him waiting 18 months to start using the site, accounting for many of the problems at the Airport dump.

But Mr. Rowlinson said he was "sick and tired of the Department continually shouldering the blame for poor planning on the part of others''.

"It seems that contracts were entered into before the appropriate approvals were in place,'' Mr. Rowlinson told The Royal Gazette .

Mr. Hunt's proposal was an "unusual and difficult'' one, he said. "These types of uses tend to be unsightly and can have major impact on the neighbours.'' Mr. Rowlinson produced Mr. Hunt's planning file, countering his claim that the department had lost it. "A review of the record will confirm, I think, that the department has dealt with this application in a thorough, efficient, and timely manner.'' The record included letters of objection from neighbours and extensive written consultation with various Government departments.

While the matter is scheduled to go before the Development Applications Board on May 31, recent publicity has led to scheduling of a meeting between Mr.

Hunt and Planning officials next week.