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Local Government Ministry Reviewing Draft Waste Disposal Policies

By: , June 18, 2014

The Key Point:

The Ministry of Local Government and Community Development has received two far-reaching draft policies that will deter citizens from illegal dumping and littering.

The Facts

  • They are the draft National Solid Waste Management (Disposal of Solid Waste) Regulations, 2014 and the draft National Solid Waste (Public Cleansing) Regulations, 2014.
  • The National Solid Waste Management (Disposal of Solid Waste) Regulations, 2014 regulates the kinds of material, which may be disposed of at a landfill and the manner in which such disposal is done.

The Full Story

The Ministry of Local Government and Community Development has received two far-reaching draft policies that will deter citizens from illegal dumping and littering.

They are the draft National Solid Waste Management (Disposal of Solid Waste) Regulations, 2014 and the draft National Solid Waste (Public Cleansing) Regulations, 2014.

Making his contribution to the 2014/15 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, June 17, Portfolio Minister, Hon. Noel Arscott said the draft policies were submitted by the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel.

The National Solid Waste Management (Disposal of Solid Waste) Regulations, 2014 regulates the kinds of material, which may be disposed of at a landfill and the manner in which such disposal is done.

“The regulations also seek to impose tipping fees on users of a landfill based on the waste burden put on the landfill by those users,” he said.

Outlining the purpose of the draft National Solid Waste (Public Cleansing) Regulations, 2014 he said these are designed to maintain a clean public environment by providing for the proper storage, conveyance and disposal of waste, with provision for penalties where the regulations are contravened.

He noted that the regulations also clearly outline the roles and responsibilities of the citizens, waste haulers, and the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) in matters of waste management.

The Minister said the drafts have already been the subject of consultations with a wide cross-section of stakeholders, including the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), the Ministry of Health, the police, private waste haulers, persons in academia, the business sector, the Environmental Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO), and members of the public.

“I will also ensure that the requisite public education takes place,” he said.

He lamented that “when you drive past some of the island’s major gullies and drains, it is a disgrace”.

The Minister insisted that, “our citizens continue to dump garbage in the drains while we turn a blind eye. We all need to understand and accept that ‘Jamaica’s beauty is our duty’. It is everybody’s business. We must stop the madness of littering our country, then weep and wail at the repercussions. We are only hurting ourselves”.

He said the current fines of $2,000, and $10,000 for littering and illegal dumping, respectively, are not a deterrent. “For any sanction to be meaningful it must be felt hard,” he asserted.

Last Updated: June 18, 2014

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