Funds short of what is required to keep Ja clean

Despite the infusion of 50 new garbage trucks, the country’s garbage collection woes are likely to continue as it will take about $17b to keep Jamaica clean in the way that both the local government ministry and the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) envisage.The agencies currently receive less than a third of that allocation.

Responding to questions posed during the Standing Finance Committee’s examining of the Estimates of Expenditure for the 2023/2024 fiscal year last Thursday, Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie said the NSWMA requires the sum “in order for them to execute effectively and efficiently.”

“It will include capital investments across the country,” he replied to Opposition Spokesman on Local Government, Natalie Neita Garvey.

She asked what it would take to keep the country clean if the cost of capital investment for public cleansing were excluded.

“(It will take) around $11b per annum. We are giving them around $4b,” McKenzie said.

McKenzie also offered a figure of $5.8b and said the finance ministry over the last two years has been supporting efforts where necessary and needed.

“We do have some funding that will take care of the new trucks, and additional expenditure that is going to be required. What we are doing now is that we are working on the enterprise team. We had a meeting (and that is well advanced as to where are going) and there is some significant funding that has been provided to help in the public education campaign around the NSWMA,” McKenzie to the meeting.

“So we are rolling out an expansive programme that might not be reflected in the books (2023/2024 Estimates) but based on the commitment in relationship with the ministry of finance that will help us at some point in time. Because we have to rely on the Ministry of Finance for support outside of what is allocated,” the minister told the meeting.

On Thursday, Neita-Garvey told The Gleaner she foresees difficulties ahead, as with a flat budget, the problems will return despite the 50 new trucks.

“It is a flat budget, and only a tip of the iceberg. Only about half of what is approved will go towards collection. The rest will go towards administrative functions, so the new trucks which are in operation will be running until they break down. One hundred was approved in the budget for the financial year which ends in March, and we got 50, so another 50 should be coming,”she said.

According to her, with no additional funding and the date of the additional 50 trucks not yet known, only the Corporate Area may get a reprieve.

“This does not mean that because 50 trucks are now in the system that there will be a timetable for when garbage will be collected. You are going to still hope that it is collected, and this is for persons in the Corporate Area. For many persons in rural areas nothing much will change,” she told The Gleaner.

The Government, ministry, and NSWMA were heavily criticised last year as garbage was left uncollected for weeks, sometimes months in many communities across the island.

Rural area communities were severely impacted with many individuals creating illegal disposal areas, or resorting to burning their garbage. In instances this created additional health problems from smoke inhalation.

Another challenge for the collection effort was the situation where many private truck owners would shy away from working with the Government, citing long delays in payment for their services in collection and disposal.

But McKenzie says that all outstanding payments have been made as well as the licensing of the trucks, and that there has also been increases in salaries for workers.