WPM wants at least 25 new garbage trucks

WESTERN BUREAU:

Western Parks and Markets Waste Management Limited, which falls under the umbrella of the National Solid Waste Management Authority, says it is eyeing approximately 25 of the 100 new trucks the Government is seeking to acquire to boost garbage collection across the country.

Garnet Edmonson, regional operations manager of WPM, said that at present, only 20 government collection units are in operation in the areas it serves, which span Trelawny, St James, Hanover, and Westmoreland.

“We need up to 40 to 45 units to get out all the solid waste,” Edmonson told The Gleaner recently. “Presently, St James and Westmoreland have six units, while the rest are worked between the other two parishes. We [now have] around 15 to 20 loads of backlogs in the region.”

Edmonson is also urging residents to take greater care in disposing of their garbage.

“We are trying to follow our schedule as best as possible, because many times you hear persons say the truck didn’t come, but yes, it came and your waste wasn’t put out. You put it out after the truck come and it causes a problem,” said Edmonson. “You pass through some communities very early, you see [diapers] on the roadway, your bins are not secured properly and animals rummage through the garbage. So I always say, with the best of resources or lack of resources, citizens must play their part in securing their waste.”

Edmonson said his organisation is trying its best to be effective, despite the limited resources, and has contracted smaller units in the downtown Montego Bay area to allow the agency to redeploy the bigger units into surrounding communities.