Don’t mix ashes with waste for disposal, warns WPM manager

WESTERN BUREAU:
Dramaine Jones, the regional operations manager for the National Solid Waste Management Authority’s (NSWMA) Western Parks and Markets Limited (WPM), is urging citizens to better manage their garbage disposal methods in order to reduce the risk of fires from the remnants of burnt waste.
Jones made the call while speaking with The Gleaner last Friday, following a fire that started at the Retirement landfill in St James in the early hours of Thursday. The fire, which has since been brought under control, reportedly started at a section of the landfill where fresh garbage had been dumped.
“It is typical at this time of year where you have persons who will have their outdoor barbecue, and they would have lit coals that would have been placed in their fires. While we train our teams to really look for stuff like this, it is not a guarantee that you will catch all of them, and whenever you have the wind and the dry conditions, it is almost the perfect storm,” said Jones.
“If you have your backyard barbecue, please try to dispose of the ashes properly, and do not mix them in with the regular waste, because right then and there you may be causing a fire hazard or sending a fire to the disposal site. Also, you must ensure that persons bag the waste properly, remove plastics where possible, see how best you can use garden cuttings to make compost; and if you see illegal dumping, please report it,” Jones added.
YEARS OF NUISANCE
The Retirement landfill has been the site of several fires over the years, as far back as 2013, with residents of Retirement and other nearby communities often complaining of the resulting smoke nuisance and respiratory issues that arise and last for several days.
In April 2024, NSWMA Executive Director Audley Gordon called for residents to assist in the disposal site’s maintenance, while also urging that due diligence must be taken in practising proper garbage disposal.
On the issue of illegal dump sites and improper garbage disposal, both of which are problems that have plagued St James for years, Jones warned that stricter enforcement measures would soon be implemented to stop people from carelessly throwing their waste in random places. He noted that while dump sites at Norwood, Mt Salem, Sun Valley Road, and other locations in the parish are cleaned on a regular basis, people still illegally deposit bulky waste, household garbage and commercial refuse in these areas.
“There are persons who are able to access the disposal site and move their waste there, but they go to the nearest lonely spot on the road and just drop it off. Persons should be reminded that fines are coming and they will not be pretty, and when they are caught, these persons will be dealt with properly,” said Jones.
“There has been some reviews of the legislation, and increased fines are coming. Because right now the fine is up to $10,000 per instance, and if you go to court, you can be fined up to $1 million. But persons do not take it seriously, and that is why we have to be getting harsher, to ensure that persons really comply and understand that you do not need to illegally dump waste,” Jones continued.
Proposals for stiffer fines to deter illegal waste disposal have previously been put forward from as far back as February 2024, when Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie said that behaviour change on the part of residents is the only way to achieve sustainable results in this regard.
christopher.thomas@gleanerjm.com