Trelawny Municipal Corporation ordered to clear garbage pileup at Falmouth Market

The Falmouth Market in Trelawny could be facing closure over sanitation issues amid weeks of uncollected garbage which has given rise to public health concerns.

The Trelawny Public Health Department issued a notice on the municipal corporation on December 16 to clear the pile-up of garbage within three weeks.

A visit to the market by The Gleaner on Monday, more than two weeks after the notice was issued, revealed that the mountain of garbage remains untouched and continues to mount.

Citing rat infestation and other issues, vendors and other stakeholders have called for the situation to be addressed.

"The garbage is a breeding ground for rats. I have to do a cleanup of rat droppings each day before I start selling. This is an unhealthy situation," a butcher at the market, who asked not to be named, told The Gleaner.

Food vendor Venice also bemoaned the state of the market.

"I lose several pounds of pumpkin when rats bite them and nobody to pay us for it. The market needs proper management,” she complained.

Efforts to get a comment from Falmouth Mayor Collen Gager as well as the head of the National Solid Waste Management Authority, Audley Gordon, were unsuccessful.

- Leon Jackson

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