‘Uptowners’ blamed for littering low-income community
WESTMORELAND, Jamaica — Tipped off by the carcasses of expensive dogs found in the trash, local authorities in this western parish are blaming ‘uptown residents’ for illegal garbage dumps that litter at least one lower-income community.
They have also pointed the finger at established institutions and well known commercial enterprises.
“I went to a reputable institution recently and saw some vegetation,” said the National Solid Waste Management Authority’s (NSWMA) senior public cleansing inspector for Westmoreland and Hanover, Leona Bennett. “By the end of the day the vegetation was at [the illegal dumpsite at a low-income community called] Shaolin.”
According to Bennett, as soon as illegal dumpsites are cleared they reappear as individuals outside the community continue to dispose of their garbage there.
She was speaking during Thursday’s monthly meeting of the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation.
The public health official said their checks had revealed that uptown residents, institutions and companies in the surrounding communities are the source of garbage seen at illegal dumpsites in Shaolin.
“It’s not the residents who take the waste there,” she pointed out. “Everybody usually uses the Shaolin dumpsite; they [use it as a place to deposit] dead animals, not only regular garbage. Shaolin residents not going to put a dead shih-tzu or pit bull in a garbage bag and dump it at the entrance of their community, so it is not a lack of education why people are doing this. Manage your waste for proper collection,” she urged.
Skips are currently being constructed for the community and will be placed off the main road, inside the lane, for use by residents who do not benefit from door-todoor garbage collection.
That was one of the solutions outlined during the meeting. However, some councillors are adamant that the NSWMA needs to do more to address illegal dumping.
“What is [NSWMA] doing as it regards where Pan Caribbean is dumping their garbage?” asked Councillor Lawton Mckenzie (Grange Hill Division, People’s National Party). “The whole of Frome is a watershed. Other companies like Pan Caribbean have other kind of waste. It’s not only the little man, the big company, nobody not following up. Who brave enough to drive through the cane piece will see a site bigger than Montego Bay.”
Deputy Mayor Danree Delancy (Bethel Town Division, PNP) agreed, saying the NSWMA should be able to trace the litter back to its source of origin and take action.
“What stands out is the size of those illegal dumpsites in the cane field,” he said. “Can’t we come up with some way to encourage private residents and others to containerise their garbage? Form partnerships with entities and pass them on to these institutions to create programmes. Incentivise them to containerise their garbage,” he suggested.
He stressed that garbage that is not containerised lengthens the collection process and can contribute to the backlogs that the NSWMA has been facing.
There are now six garbage trucks, on average, servicing each parish in the Western Region. Additional contractors are currently being sought.