Jamaicans Encouraged To Use NSWMA App To Report Illegal Dumping

More Jamaicans are being encouraged to report illegal dumping and littering through the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) mobile application.

Community Relations Manager of the Authority, Kimberley Blair, has commended individuals who have used the platform to help to clean up Jamaica.

She was speaking at a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’, held recently at the agency’s headquarters in Kingston.

The application is a critical element in the NSWMA’s effort to eliminate illegal dumping, a sore problem across the country. It was released in 2020 to support the Stamp Out Littering and Illegal Dumping (SOLID) programme in communities.

With more than 2,000 downloads in the past two years, Ms. Blair is urging more citizens to develop civic pride where it concerns the proper disposal of garbage.

“We have cleared over 500 reports and have found that we get a lot of illegal dumping reports. These have helped us to target some illegal dump sites and clear them up too,” she said.

Ms. Blair pointed out that the NSWMA refers some of the cases to other agencies that can better handle them.

In addition to reporting illegal dumping and littering, the application allows individuals to make a complaint about uncollected garbage.

Ms. Blair said the platform has helped the Authority to address and resolve many of the reports within a short time frame.

“We have a good turnaround time to reports made through the app, as we respond within 24 to 48 hours. But for the bigger issues, littering and illegal dumping, it must be referred to our enforcement department, and then they have to investigate… so this turnaround time is a little lengthy,” Ms. Blair said.

The app is available for download through the iOS and Google Play stores. It also shares the NSWMA’s collection schedules to users as well as tips on recycling at home, school and work.