St. Elizabeth Communities Cleared of Bulky Waste

Several communities in St. Elizabeth were cleared of bulky waste and other garbage on Saturday (Jan. 25).

The initiative was part of the national dengue clean-up campaign aimed at controlling the spread of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, which transmits the dengue virus.

Clean-up activities took place in Junction, Bull Savannah, Tryall District, Comma Pen and Ballards Valley.

Mayor of Black River, Derrick Sangster, in an interview with JIS News, said that the communities have had the highest suspected cases of dengue, which is why activities were focused in those areas.

He noted that several government agencies teamed up to take part in the clean-up effort.

“We had persons from National Housing Trust (NHT), the St. Elizabeth Health Department as well as persons from the St. Elizabeth Municipal Corporation, who are involved in cleaning up bulky waste, as well as bagged up garbage,” he said.

He added that teams of volunteers and vector control workers went into the areas to sensitise residents about the dangers of the Aedes aegypti mosquito and mosquito-borne illnesses.

The Mayor noted that there was “excellent cooperation from citizens in terms of putting out their garbage and we hope that hereafter, they will continue to work with us in ensuring that the garbage is collected so that we can lessen the incidence of dengue in the parish and in Jamaica as a whole.”

For her part, Medical Officer of Health for St. Elizabeth, Dr.   Tonia Dawkins-Beharie, urged householders to ensure that water storage containers do not become breeding ground for mosquitoes.

She advised persons “to cover water drums and pour a little cooking oil in the water, (as) this creates a (barrier) on the water and prevents breeding.”

Regional Operations Manager for Southern Park and Markets (SPM) Waste Management Limited, Edward Muir, told JIS News that the agency is removing garbage from Junction and adjoining areas.

“We have some pick-up trucks on the road and we are moving through the communities to ensure that we remove all those bulky waste, and we have our own government units on hand to remove garbage,” he said.

Other agencies which took part in the clean-up exercise were the HEART Trust/ NTA, St. Elizabeth Fire Department and the Social Development Commission’s (SDC) St. Elizabeth Office.

Three- day national dengue clean-up exercise, which started on Friday (Jan. 24), is being carried out under the theme: ‘Mosquitoes wanted dead, not alive!’