NSWMA says persistent rainfall affecting garbage collection

By Racquel Porter    

 

The National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) says its operations at disposal sites especially in Kingston, St. Andrew and St. Catherine have been significantly affected by unprecedented rainfall.

 

Executive Director Audley Gordon says the rains have resulted in soggy and waterlogged grounds at several disposal sites, creating challenges for vehicular navigation and reducing efficiency. 

 

"We don't have concrete or asphalted roads in our disposal sites, they are all dirt tracks. And so when it rains, it becomes very soggy and the heavy trucks that have to go in and out keep digging holes as they go, and some of them even get stuck in the mud. It's a real problem for us and it happens every time we get around the rainy period of the year. We try our best to keep going by using river shingle and stones, each time we can fill the holes and kind of create new roadways with the river shingle," he explained.  

 

Mr. Gordon said this has caused delays in garbage collection for residents and businesses. He urged residents, in the meantime, to properly package their garbage to prevent a mess, even as he sought to reassure the public of the authority's commitment to resolving the challenges posed by the persistent rains. 

 

"We are working hard to manage the disposal site in these times. As soon as we have less rain, we will be able to do a better job. But once the rain continues, we're going to have the challenge. And so we just have to do the best we can and ask residents on their end, of course, to do the best they can also," he said.