NSWMA removing loose garbage ahead of hurricane

The National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) is removing loose garbage from communities ahead of Hurricane Beryl's passage to prevent blockage of drains and waterways.

Executive Director, Audley Gordon, told JIS News that the authority has already activated its emergency plan as Jamaica continues to prepare for the system.

“We are out and we will stay out as long as we can to make sure that we take all the garbage from the communities, especially the loose garbage that can find its way into our waterways and drains and cause blockages and contribute to flooding,” he said.

“We don't want that. So we are moving decisively in that regard and will continue to do so until it becomes necessary to make a judgement call and pull back,” the executive director emphasised.

Gordon said focus is being placed on areas prone to flooding, such as Seaview Gardens, New Haven and Bull Bay in St Andrew, and Rocky Point in Clarendon, among others.

He encourages citizens not to put out garbage at this time, unless it is properly containerised.

“Don't put it out now, because all the loose garbage becomes a nuisance when the water starts rising. So that's one of the encouragements that we are giving and we are beseeching people, please just help us in this regard,” Gordon appealed.

Meanwhile, the executive director has welcomed the recent addition of tipper and crane trucks to the NSWMA's fleet, noting that these “could not have come at a better time.”

“What that does is give us increased capability. We can now move to attack bulky waste in a more efficient manner,” Gordon said, adding that “where the manpower is not sufficient or cannot manage, we have the crane trucks to assist us.”

The NSWMA is responsible for solid waste management in Jamaica.

Its mandate is to safeguard public health and ensure that waste is collected, stored, transported, recycled and reused or disposed of in an environmentally-sound manner.

- JIS News 

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