NSWMA Implements Measures for Holiday Garbage Collection in St. James

The National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) has implemented measures to address the expected increase in garbage in St. James during the Christmas period into the New Year.

Public Cleansing Inspector at Western Parks and Markets (WPM) Waste Management Limited, a subsidiary of the NSWMA, Patrick Gilchrist, said that priority will be given to the business district of Montego Bay.

“Normally, over this period, we have an increase of waste; [as such], we have engaged five mini compactor trucks. These trucks will mostly work in the downtown district of Montego Bay with the bigger units… to minimize congestion.

“We have engaged 15 additional sweepers in the downtown area and have implemented a moving team around the parish to do work in a number of areas, to include King Street, Barracks Road, Hart Street, Brandon Hill and especially the Elegant Corridor,” Mr. Gilchrist said.

He was speaking at the regular monthly meeting of the St. James Municipal Corporation on Thursday (December 13).

Mr. Gilchrist said that two large garbage trucks have been dispatched to serve the communities of Rose Heights, Farm Heights, Granville, Rosemount and Mount Salem, in a bid to improve on the collection cycle.

“We are in the process of increasing our night collections in a number of communities, that will help to free up some of the units in the day, so that we can reach more of our communities,” he noted.

In the meantime, Mr. Gilchrist said that the NSWMA’s Bulky Waste Pre-Christmas Clean-up drive, which started on November 24, will continue into 2019.

“We have removed, so far, over 50 units of non-compactable waste from a number of communities, namely Flanker, Cornwall Courts, King Street, Barracks Road [and] Hart Street,” Mr. Gilchrist said.

These include old stoves, washing machines and refrigerators.