Deputy mayor calls out vendors for messy MoBay
Published:Tuesday | October 15, 2024 | 12:09 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon is supporting a call for the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) to dispose of items which vendors left overnight in the western city without properly packing them away.
“The thing is, we do not deal with anti-vending; we deal with vending management. And a part of the vending-management process is to keep the area clean. You cannot be putting in all this effort to clean and persons just treat it with scant regard,” said Vernon while chairing last Thursday’s monthly meeting of the St James Municipal Corporation (StJMC).
“Even at Fort Street, there are persons who see it fit to leave their pans and the equipment that they work with in that area overnight and in the day, until they return in the evening, and it is unsightly. Of course, I support the call for these items to be removed and, where necessary, the StJMC will provide support to assist with that process,” added Vernon.
The mayor was responding to a call from Deputy Mayor Dwight Crawford, who told the meeting that crews from the NSWMA have to contend with bulky waste such as jerk pans and plyboards during their morning cleaning-up activities in downtown Montego Bay.
“The NSWMA goes through in the morning to clean up, and even after cleaning up, the fact that the pallets and boards and pans are left there would give the appearance that NSWMA is not cleaning up the place,” said Crawford, noting that some of the items end up in the drain and cause blockages.
“If somebody goes to vend and is permitted to do so, when they pack up their things, they should pack the items up and go to their yard with it if they want it. If you go there and see it, I think that would indicate to you that they do not want it,” Crawford said.
St James has had a long history of poor waste management, particularly improper garbage disposal and complaints of inadequate collection. Sections of the Second City suffer from frequent rodent infestation, mosquito breeding, and flooding caused by blocked drains.
Over the years, vendors have come in for much blame for the improper disposal of leftover food items, despite efforts by the StJMC and the St James Health Services to get them to obey the regulations.
The NSWMA launched a Bulky Waste and Derelict Vehicle Removal Programme in St James in August, as part of a wider national clean-up campaign to reduce the risk of dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases.
During the StJMC’s meeting last Thursday, it was reported that there were 20 districts in backlog for garbage collection across St James during September, compared to five in August and 55 in July. Additionally, 11 government-appointed garbage trucks and three supplementary vehicles were used to clear waste across the parish during September.