St. James Gets 11 New Garbage Units

The National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) has significantly expanded its waste management capabilities in St. James, with the commissioning of 11 new units.

The ceremony was held at WPM Waste Management Limited’s office at Freeport in Montego Bay, St. James, on June 27, during the relaunch of the 24-hour ‘Operation SWEEP’, aimed at enhancing and enforcing proper waste management practices across the parish.

Included in the new units are six compactors, two mini compactors, one crane, and two tipper trucks, bringing WPM’s total to 32 operational units.

Additionally, 13 units were temporarily reassigned from Kingston to support the 24-hour Operation SWEEP in Montego Bay and the wider St. James.

Executive Director, NSWMA, Audley Gordon, pointed out that the crane will be deployed to address the issue of abandoned vehicles on the streets.

“Some of them are blocking the roads. When you go in you can hardly pass with garbage trucks, the police can hardly pass, the ambulance can hardly pass, and the firetruck can hardly pass. We have already started ticketing [the owners] and we are going to start picking them up [with the crane] and move them off the streets,” he noted.

Mr. Gordon said the Government is committed to improving waste management services and has positioned the NSWMA to deliver the quality service that the people of Jamaica deserve.

He argued that with the new trucks, there are no excuses for poor performance, adding that the entity will ensure that the “people get a return on their investment and the return in this case means cleaner streets and communities”.

Mr. Gordon appealed to residents to ensure that they practise proper waste management.

“People must take responsibility for the solid waste that they generate. You can’t just toss the garbage anywhere or throw it through the window of your car. That’s unacceptable. That is the careless littering that creates all these unsightly mess along our roadways,” Mr. Gordon noted.

“I am calling for civic pride. I’m calling for personal responsibility. I’m saying, let’s take responsibility for the solid waste that we generate,” he added.

For his part, Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister (West), Hon. Homer Davis, cited the Government’s unprecedented investment in waste management, noting that more than 100 new garbage trucks were procured over the past 24 months.

He attributed this achievement to “prudent fiscal management” by the Andrew Holness-led Administration.

“Prosperity doesn’t necessarily mean money jingling in your pocket. It means a clean environment. It means a clean community. It means a clean township. It means that when you step out of your house and you put your garbage in the skip, within the next 24 to 72 hours, it is taken up,” Mr. Davis said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Dwight Crawford, said the Government is responsive to the needs of residents and, as such, continues to make substantial investment in the nation’s waste management infrastructure.

He extended gratitude, on behalf of the residents of St. James, for the new units.