NSWMA Urges Citizens to Containerise Waste

As Jamaicans prepare for massive clean-up activities on Labour Day, Friday, May 23, the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) is urging them to properly containerise their waste.

Containerisation is the practice of securely packaging solid waste in garbage bags and placing it in designated containers, such as drums or skips/receptacles, rather than leaving it scattered or exposed in open areas.

“We always encourage containerisation, because that makes it more efficient for our units when they come [to pick up],” Executive Director, Audley Gordon, told JIS News.

He pointed out that, “the quicker we can move from your gate, [is] the quicker we get to the next gate [and] the next community”.

“We serve the public far better when we don’t have to spend the time to clean up, bag up and rake up,” the Executive Director added.

Mr. Gordon emphasised that proper waste handling benefits everyone, highlighting environmental and safety concerns associated with scattered garbage.

“The garbage that is tossed around and is scattered all over the place is the same garbage that, when the winds and the rains come, finds itself into the waterways, clogs the drains and causes flooding, leading to loss of life, sometimes damaged properties and all sorts of negatives,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Gordon encourages residents to collaborate with neighbours to streamline the collection of bulky waste, which are large items that cannot fit in compactor units.

“If you put out the bulky waste, don’t just put it where you feel. Organise it in [an orderly] way because, when a truck has to come and pick up one thing here and then drive down and pick up another thing there, if the neighbours had collaborated, they could have just made one heap,” he said.

Labour Day 2025 is being observed under the theme ‘Protect the Environment: Our Land, Our Duty, Our Future’, with the slogan ‘Jamaica Nice, Protect Wi Paradise’.

Persons or groups can register their projects by visiting the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) website at www.jis.gov.jm.

They may also contact the Labour Day Secretariat at 876-569-2716 or 876-398-4880 for registration and additional information.

Persons are also invited to attend the Labour Day Gospel Concert slated for Emancipation Park at 7:00 p.m.