St James councillors bemoan inconsistent garbage collection

WESTERN BUREAU:

The issue of inadequate garbage collection again took centre stage at last Thursday’s sitting of the St James Municipal Corporation, where several councillors lamented the inconsistent collection in their divisions.

The councillors expressed their concerns as the National Solid Waste Management Authority’s (NSWMA) Western Parks and Markets (WPM) representatives reported that 40 tipper-truckloads of bulky waste were collected across the parish during September, and that 13 garbage trucks are currently servicing the parish.

Michael Troupe, the councillor for the Granville division, referenced recent media reports regarding uncollected garbage in that area and the ongoing rainy conditions as reasons for the NSWMA to rectify the waste-collection issue urgently.

“We are approaching the Christmas season, and our greatest fear is that because we have some rain now, we will start to have mosquitoes, roaches, and rats. You need to put in a plan from now to inform us about doing bulky garbage collection, so that we can tell the residents that we are going to do bulky garbage collection early,” said Troupe. “If you do not do that, then after you pass through, we are going to have more bulky garbage on the streets.”

Martin Kellier, the councillor for the Welcome Hall division, also called for immediate action from the NSWMA, pointing to reports of rat sightings in the Springfield community within his division.

“Because of the lack of garbage collection, I got reports from the Springfield area that there are a lot of rats taking over the area. I do not know if the NSWMA is going to collaborate with the health department to get some rat baits to defer that problem, because once you start seeing rats, you know they multiply really quick, and they will take over the whole area, and I do not want that,” said Kellier.

Meanwhile, Michael Allen, the councillor for the Somerton division, reported a more mixed response to garbage collection within his division, noting that some communities have experienced waste removal while others have not.

“For the Amity Hall area, I got a call that a truck was in that area, and I do not know how much of that ground you will be covering, but I want to thank you for having a truck in the area. But the Goodwill Primary School and the Adelphi and Content areas are overrun with garbage, and I just hope to see my division get some cleaning,” said Allen.

St James has historically had a poor record of waste collection and management, as well as longstanding issues with garbage backlogs and illegal dumping. These issues were worsened after the destructive passage of Hurricane Melissa last October, with residents complaining that inconsistent collection schedules resulted in rat infestations in some areas.

In the meantime, Edward Muir, the WPM’s regional operations manager, told the meeting that they are operating with reduce capacity and some units are out of service.

“Quite a number of our units are down, not because of lack of experience to maintain, but because of shortage of parts. Most of the parts that we require are not easily accessible, but we have received some parts, and that is why we have managed to get two additional trucks. Come next week, you will see an increase of trucks in St James,” he said.

christopher.thomas@gleanerjm.com